


Tales of a Life Gained

by BritishSarcasm (KidaOokami)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Biexual!Remus, F/M, First chapter is basically a fix-it fic for their deaths, Genderfluid!Tonks, I just want them to be cute is that so bad?, Occasional bits of plot, Post-War, Remadora Survives AU, They're so cute its sickening, mostly just cute happy drabbles, no major drama in here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-06
Updated: 2015-10-11
Packaged: 2018-03-29 08:21:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 35,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3889237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KidaOokami/pseuds/BritishSarcasm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In one universe, Remus and Nymphadora Lupin died at the Battle of Hogwarts, May 2nd, 1998. Another universe, however, shows how stubborn a Wolf can be, so stubborn it can even reverse the deaths of loved ones lost. A collection of tales from a world where Remadora survives. Rated T for language mainly and cross-posted on FF.Net.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Stubborn Creature

**Author's Note:**

> So, recently got back into the HP fandom again, and remembered how much I loved Remadora - so I came up with a way to bring them back, because like hell am I gonna leave them dead, that's depressing and I want cute stuff for them.  
> This will be a series of Drabbles, Ficlets, and the occasional plot driven drama, this first chapter sets up the premise for all to come after it. Enjoy.  
> Please excuse the excessive italics, it's to denote the difference between being in the Afterlife and the Living World.

It is curious that not many wish to explore the mechanics of spells; what it is, exactly, that the spell is commanding the surrounding ether to do in order to achieve the desired effects. For instance, the Spell _Accio_ is actually a command for space and time to derive the shortest path for the item in question to reach the co-ordinates of the spell caster. The _Disillusionment_ Charm is a command for the light trying to pass through a person to re-direct around them instead, making it appear as if the person were not there at all.

It is perhaps less curious when one considers that not many wish to understand the mechanics of the _Avada Kedavra_ Curse. It is, however, an interesting thing. It is re-knowned as the Killing Curse, but what it actually does is sever the fine tethers that the Soul makes in order to remain anchored within a body. Without these tethers, the soul simply leaves. The only reason this differs from the Dementors Kiss is that a Dementor will _encourage_ the Soul to leave, that is the Soul will retract these tethers and leave almost willingly. The _Avada Kedavara_ Curse is brutal and traumatic, so much so that the instance of these tethers being broken causes the body to shut down, effectively killing the victim.

Only in cases where the Souls tethers are exceedingly strong will the Curse fail, as was the case with one Harry Potter. Lily's love for her son was enough to strengthen the ties of her child's soul, creating a barrier to rebound the curse.

Another curiosity, is how stubborn and high how a werewolves self preservation instincts are. By 'Werewolf' one means the actual wolf, and not the person who plays host to this second entity. Because that is what a Werewolf is, two beings inside one form, and with the help of the Full Moon, the persons mental control is weakened allowing the wolf to take over, if only for as long as the Moon shines.

With the current outlook on Werewolves being incredibly bleak, it is not surprising to have many documented cases of those inflicted with Lycanthropy to attempt to kill themselves. Yet, it is rare for these attempts to actually be fatal. 

It should be obvious knowledge that the Wolf can only survive if the host survives, therefore it is in the Wolfs best interest to keep their host alive. This means that any poison ingested will be metabolised and neutralised much faster than the average human being, the Immune System will spike to deal with any life threatening diseases that manage to affect a Werewolf, and grievous bodily harm will be healed at an accelerated rate. Self harm requires an extremely powerful force of will to overcome that of the Wolf, and more often than not a person is left teetering on the edge but never actually succeeding in landing the blow. It doesn't help that the longer the Wolf exists the bigger and stronger it becomes.

It is a horrible Catch-22, and therefore completely unsurprising that most of those bitten prefer to stay with their own kind, were they are not hated or scorned by everyone around them. Those that do stay in the Wizarding community are either very quiet about it, or face public distrust and scathing comments on a regular basis throughout their life. It is ironic, however, that those who live in a pack tend to live shorter lives than those that chose to live on their own. Wolves may be difficult to kill, but not impossible, and sheer pack brutality and in-fighting between Wolves is a sure fire way to get the job done.

It is with this in mind that it comes to ones attention that their are only a handful of Wolves that have existed for over 30 years. It is also, one such Wolf that has discovered what happens when it is confronted with the _Avada Kedavara_ curse.

_____________________________________

_The first thing Remus Lupin recognised was the pain, specifically the pain that comes from aching everywhere. He imagined this is where the phrase, felt like being hit by a truck came from. It was similar to waking up after a full moon, only it reached his very core. He wasn't surprised he had very little motivation to move._

_He breathed in and out slowly, trying to re-call where he was now, or whose floor he was on more likely. He twitched his right hand to feel around and met only air. Alright, he was elevated then, perhaps on top of a table. That never lead to good things in his personal experience._

_The feeling of memories lost nagged at him, kind of like waking from a dream that felt so real, and you tried to hold on but it just crept away from you. These memories however, were started to creep back, and Remus wasn't sure he was entirely ready for it._

I'm Dead, _was his succinct conclusion._

_He had just been staring at his wife, his wife who had promised to stay with Teddy, striding across the battle field towards him. He was so shocked, and Dora had always been very distracting for him, he didn't even hear the curse being flung at him. But he did remember the horror that filled her face and her mouth opening for a scream. He didn't hear the scream though._

_Instead, he opened his eyes, and found he was now staring at Sirius Blacks grimacing face, "When you said she would be the death of you, I didn't think you meant literally, you daft git."_

_"Nice to see you again too, old friend," Remus replied accepting the hand Sirius offered to pull himself up, finding it incredibly easy to do so. Easier than he had in over 20 years._

_He was nudged in the shoulder by Sirius, who was now sporting a full on grin._

_"You owe me by the way, you said we'd all outlive you, well look who was the last to show for the Afterlife Party, pay up."_

_"Afterlife Par- ... oh, oh no, oh Dora!" Remus nearly crumpled to the ground again as Sirius' words hit home, his hands clamped over his mouth. He'd left her, again, he'd promised he wouldn't, oh how could he have been so foolish._

_"Yeah, about that," the fellow marauder was now rubbing the back of his head and wincing as he looked at the grieving man, "not sure if this will be good news or bad news for you."_

_"I'm not sure how to take that," Remus responded, taking his hands away from his mouth._

_"Well, in that case I may as well just tell you, Lil' Dora is here too."_

_"...What?"_

_"Nymphadora Tonks, excuse me, Nymphadora_ Lupin _," Sirius exaggerated, nudging him in the shoulder again, "is here, for the Afterlife Party."_

_Remus didn't even bother to ask for clarification, he was walking straight past Sirius and bellowing for his wife. Out across the empty white void, mist curled around his limbs once he stayed still for too long. He continued to call for her, not even his own echo in reply. He did a 180 ready to start shouting in another direction only to nearly crash directly into tall, freckled, red headed figure._

_"Fred?!"_

_"You too, huh, Prof?"_

_"Oh no, Fred!" Remus gripped the boys shoulders and looked into his face, "I'm so sorry."_

_"Same here, mate," Fred said, looking at Remus up and down, who just smiled back ruefully._

_"You haven't seen someone with shockingly pink hair have you?"_

_Fred shook his head, "'Fraid not, you ... you haven't seen another red head around have you ... George?"_

_"George too?"_

_"I'm not sure, he was around when I was ... I think."_

_"No, I'm sorry, I only know Dora is here because Sirius told me."_

_Fred leaned around Remus to look behind the mans back where Sirius was watching the conversation from a distance. The Weasley's eye widened as he took in the other mans appearance. Remus wasn't really paying attention though, scouring the white void for anyone he recognised._

_"George isn't here, he's still alive and ... well, his state is to be expected really, but he's alive, Fred," Sirius assured._

_Fred breathed in and then sighed. Remus absentmindedly considered what a crux this was for him, obviously feeling joy that his brother had not suffered the same fate as him, whilst simultaneously coming to terms with the fact that he would not meet his twin again for a very long time._

_The same problem suddenly occurred to him. He really wanted to find Dora, hold her close and then never let her go, no matter how irritated she got. As if the Void responded to his wishes he heard a new voice._

_"Oh thank God, Sirius, you found him, James and I have been looking everywhere, Tonks has been going spare-"_

_Remus' head whipped round towards the voice and his jaw dropped. James and Lily Potter, not a scratch on them from the day they died, standing before him, completely out of breathe. Though how one even had breath in the Afterlife he wasn't too sure. He was concentrating on the faces and voices he hadn't seen or heard for over seventeen years._

_"Prongs? ... Lily?" He reached a hand forward but faltered half way, not sure he wanted to test whether he could touch them or not._

_He closed his eyes, head dropping, and drew his hand back but it was caught by another. Opening his eyes again, he looked up to have his vision obscured by bubblegum pink, and strong arms wrapping around his middle._

_"Oh you silly old man, what did Moody always tell us? Constant Vigilence. I'm sure he's cursing up a storm somewhere around here."_

_"Dora?"_

_"Yeah, it's me."_

_He reached his arms down to wrap them around her mid section and hoist her up into a proper hug. He could feel her wiggle her legs slightly as her feet no longer touched the ground, she giggled into his collar bone. Something behind his breastbone twinged painfully and he gently set her back down, surreptitiously rubbing his chest when Tonks had turned around and flung herself into Sirius outstretched arms._

_"You alright there, mate?" James had tapped Remus on the shoulder, and as he turned round James pointed to his chest._

_"What? Oh yes, I'm fine, it's a rather familiar ache really, I'm used to it."_

_"You shouldn't really be getting aches anyway, this_ is _the afterlife."_

_"Party," Sirius mumbled pushing Tonks back towards Remus who resisted reaching out to pull her into a hug again. Just._

_Lily was now talking with Fred a little way from the group, he began nodding, and speaking quickly and earnestly to her. As he finished, Lily smiled at him, opened her arms for a hug, which he quickly accepted. They broke apart and headed back towards the group._

_"I hate to have to do this, but Harry is going to need us soon, we have to go," Lily spoke up, coming forward to take James arm and drag him slowly away from the group._

_"Right, come on Moony, you had better come too, you were his voice of reason, let's be honest," Sirius huffed genially, taking Remus arm, just as Lily had James, and walking him towards a patch of the Void, that was no longer void, but a misty apparition of a forest at night._

_"But- Dora?" Remus turned his body slightly to look behind him as Tonks placed her hands on his shoulder blades and pushed him gently in the direction of Lily and James._

_"Go, it's ok, I know what you have to do," she continued to walk with the two men, "Harry is going to need all the encouragement you can give him, he has one of the Deathly Hallows, Remus, the Stone, how he got it I don't know, but he knows what he has to do now."_

_Remus looked at her questioningly as they stopped in the vision of the forest, which he now recognised as deep within the Forbidden Forest._

_"He's going to die, Remus, shh there's nothing we can do, he has to do this, he knows that," Tonks hushed him as Remus tried to exclaim at the unfairness, "but he's going to need all of you for the strength for this, he's so close but he's lost so much, you need to help him. I'll be right here waiting with Fred, for once don't worry about me. Put all that fretting energy into Harry for now, ok?"_

_She reached up to stroke his hair away from his face, just as he rested his forehead against hers._

_"Here he comes," James said, steeling his voice for what was to come, but they could all hear the waver of excitement in his voice, he was going to get to talk to his son. If only for a little while. Dumbledore was already waiting for him, for the moment he crossed over._

_Remus braced himself, and Tonks gave him a quick pat on the head before turning sharply around and walking back over to Fred, loping an arm around his shoulders._

_They all then focused upon the scraggly, dirt smudged teen, that came walking silently towards them, the hand that held the stone gripping tightly, and a deep calm in his eyes that should not be found upon any seventeen year old._

____________________________________________________________

_"How will we know if he chose to stay or go back?"_

_"Oh please, this is Harry we're talking about, he obviously went back."_

_"I am both proud and saddened by this, all for selfish reasons."_

_"No-one is surprised, James."_

_After the rather morbid 'pep-talk' with Harry, the reunited Maruaders were lounging on the ground staring off into space. Lily had propped herself up against James back, where he lay on his stomach, while Sirius stared up at the sky. Remus was sitting with his legs out in front of him across from the other three, Tonks curled up to his right, and Fred hugging his knees on the left._

_"Doesn't it get boring here?" Remus asked, staring around at the empty void, and the mist that kept curling around his thighs._

_"Boring? It is a splendid sunday afternoon on the Moors, old boy, what could be boring about that?" Sirius snorted._

_"Oh shush, it was Lily's turn to choose the scenery and I think it's nice," James rebutted, reaching round to kiss Lily's hand, she responded with a snort and a poke in his side._

_"Ugh, Moony, please tell me you're not gonna make me suffer two disgustingly happy and mushy married couples, are you?" Sirius implored, looking between Remus and Tonks, but Remus was frowning._

_"Moors?" he asked._

_"Yeah, you know, all this green grass, blue sky, sun shining, all that, well maybe not Moors, but English countryside at least, always knew Lily was a bumpkin at heart," Sirius grinned, ducking as Lily threw something invisible at him._

_"Umm, all I see is a big load of white nothing, and some mist, don't forget the mist," Remus chuckled, waving a thick patch of it away from his hip._

_"They explained that it takes a while for you to see it, but you should be able to see it by now Remus," Tonks looked worried, "you really still see the Void don't you?"_

_Remus, now starting to feel a little anxious, turned to ask Fred, but the red-head beat him to it._

_"Sorry, but the white wash left me a while ago, I'm currently suffering grass stains, same as everyone else."_

_Now the panic really started to set in; was it going to be like this for forever? Along with this came an increase in the continual ache he felt in his core, ever since he had awoken here, but he now noticed it had gotten worse after their little conversation with Harry._

_He rubbed his ribs again, trying not to outwardly panic and alarm the others._

_"You're doing it again," James pointed out._

_"What?" Remus said distracted, as the ache became a full on spike of pain before dissipating, then spiking again._

_"You were rubbing your chest earlier too, you're still in pain aren't you."_

_"That isn't supposed to happen, oh Remus, why didn't you say anything," Lily fretted, moving to let James up, but froze half way up, "oh my God._

_Remus' hands were turning translucent, the dull ache and stabbing pains, were now a constant throbbing as if someone were trying to tug his heart out through his back. Then he heard it, a deep rumbling growl, a frustrated sound he knew only too well._

_The Wolf was still there._

_"Oh no, please no," he whispered, blindly reaching out and grabbing onto both Tonks and Fred._

_He looked up just to see everyone looking behind him horrified, until Sirius expression changed to one of resignation._

_"Guess it wasn't your time after all."_

_Clawed paws grabbed him around the ribs and a large Wolf jaw clamped down around his shoulder, over the bite mark he gained when he was 5 years old. He tightened his hold on Fred and Tonks just as the Wolf suddenly pulled him backwards._

____________________________________________________________

He could hear talking, general chatter; some were subdued voices, others were jubilant. He took a deep breathe and opened his eyes a fraction, not really registering what his eyes were seeing. A lit room, but not overly bright, neutral colour tones. He was on the floor, or close to it; it didn't feel like stone beneath him. He was also warm, and significantly in less pain than he had been a moment ago. He shifted onto his side to prop himself up on his elbow and get a better look at his surroundings, but that was when the yelling started.

"OH MY GOD! HE'S ALIVE!"

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"

"SWEET TAP DANCING MERLIN!"

The yells abruptly finished when a small section of the Great Hall exploded. Remus looked around at all the faces staring at him, still a little groggy, which was to be expected after having just come back _from the dead_. He turned to follow the line of sight for most of the occupants of the hall and found Tonks, who was now sitting bolt upright holding her wand aloft and looking very confused and alarmed.

There was complete silence in the Hall. Tonks slowly lowered her wand, looking around rather sheepish.

"Remus?"

Turning over to look slightly behind him, he could see Harry, looking more than a little bedraggled, but very much alive, and looking extremely startled.

"Harry!" Remus and Tonks exclaimed, but it was Remus who hoisted himself up and gathered the boy into a hug, "you did come back!"

"So did you by the looks of it," Harry retorted, slowly extricating himself from his ex-Professors hold. The Hall began to fill with low murmurs and excited whispers.

Remus looked down at himself, then back up to Harry, "Yes, it's a bit of a surprise, and I think a shrug might be a bit inappropriate, but I honestly have no other answer for you at the moment."

Harry stared at him in astonishment before starting to laugh, he hugged him again, still laughing into Remus jacket. There were smiles all round, and a few cheers from the odd student scattered about the hall.

"Oh my god, Fred!" Tonks blurted, staggering to her feet on slightly wobbly legs and charging for the red headed group that stood a few feet away, hovering around another body still lying on the floor in the middle of them.

Harry and Remus walked briskly over to her as well, just as she dropped to the ground and began to gently shake Fred's shoulder. Remus placed a hand on Molly's shoulder to steady her as she stared at Tonks, before she then swapped to staring at Remus.

"Tonks? What are you doing, he's-" Harry inquired, looking a little pained.

"Shush, Fred are you there?" Tonks asked, knowing full well she must look insane to everyone within the Great Hall, but she remembered. Remus had been holding onto her and Fred. If she had been brought back along with Remus, then it stood to reason that Fred would be too.

"You blasted part of a wall, Tonks, how am I supposed to follow that?" the boy retorted, opening one eye and starting to grin, meeting the tear streaked but delighted faces of his family.

"FRED!"

_____________________________________________________________

 

When a human is bitten and a Wolf takes up residence in the mind, the Soul forms another tether, incorporating the Wolf's existence, and tying the two together. The longer the tether remains, the stronger it becomes, strong enough it would seem, to pull the soul back into the body it vacated, even if that soul happens to be carrying passengers. Passengers that have no choice but to go back to the bodies they once inhabited, forming new tethers to stay inside. The _Avada Kedavara_ curse may separate the soul from the body, but it does not separate the soul from the Wolf.

The Wolf can be a very stubborn creature after all.


	2. Some Peace and Quiet

Life was hectic after the last day of the war. Bodies to name and care for, and one body nobody wanted to touch, but couldn't be left to rot in Hogwarts forever. Eventually, it was Harry that took the prerogative to levitate Voldemorts corpse out through the Hall and into the grounds were no-one would see him. Though he had half a mind to parade him out, just to show people that he really was dead, and he was just a man. It was Remus who suggested that it might make Harry look like he was bragging, which was the last thing he wanted to do. 

They orchestrated a search party, divided into teams to search the Castle and take note of areas that needed repairs urgently. Once the teams had reached the furthest corners of the castle away from the Great Hall, they removed Voldemort and set him down at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where they planned to burn him.

"I wonder what Hogwarts will do now?"

Remus glanced at Harry, as they made their way back up to the school. The light of day making the damage done to the external stone shell of the castle look severe, but also impressive.

"What do you mean, Harry?" Remus asked, looking back up the steep path and the large stone bricks littered about. Stone that was once part of one the best homes he had ever had.

"Well, Snape was Headmaster after Dumbledore, but he wasn't really supposed to be was he? I suppose Professor McGonagall will be Headmistress now. I think she'd be a good Headmistress for this school, but then who would teach Transfiguration? We need Muggle Studies back, ignorance breeds the type of fear we cannot afford to have return. Not again," Harry glanced back at the forest quickly, before turning back and looking up at Remus, "We'll also need another Defence teacher, of course."

"Nice try, Harry," Remus snorted, he heard Harry grumble in response.

"I'm not above begging the point ya' know."

"Please don't."

"Why, will it work?" Harry asked, eagerly.

"Don't push it," Remus murmured smiling, guiding Harry back into the courtyard with a hand on his shoulder blades, "besides, I now have other reasons to not return here. Two reasons in particular."

Harry gazed up to his face only to see that Remus was not looking at Harry, but across the entrance hall, to a violet haired witch conversing with Kingsley on the other side. A cluster of students were staring at both her and Kingsley in muted awe. Then Harry remembered the son he had yet to see, the child that had brought so much joy to the man beside him. His godson.

"Oh. That's fair enough."

"Thank you," Remus chuckled.

____________________________________________________________

_One Month Later..._

"Who's a gorgeous boy? Are you? Is it you?"

"I hope with that tone you're not actually talking to me."

Tonks looked up from where she was playing with Teddy's toes and gave her husband a withering look.

"You're gorgeous too," she soothed, "I didn't realise it needed repeating."

Remus grunted from where he was resting on the floor by his kneeling wife, reading a haphazard itinerary list Kingsley had given him. He had his back leaning against the edge of the sitting chair Teddy was currently residing in; all four of the boys tiny limbs were wriggling in the air as Tonks tickled his sides. Remus smiled at the scene, and began to think about what would come next, what they would all do now. Both Tonks and he had offered to help rebuild the Castle, but were told to rest and spend time with their son, that they had given too much to the War as it was. 

A month later and the pair of them were starting to get a little bored; going from doing so much and then nothing was more than a little jarring. Teddy enjoyed the joint attention of both parents and grandmother though, and he certainly kept everyone moving. Harry had promised to visit his godson once he was done with some Ministry jargon that needed sorting. Remus did not envy the boy and Tonks had shuddered at the news. Thinking about, sitting back and enjoying each others company as much as they pleased, whilst avoiding the bustling post-war Wizarding community was rather nice. Very nice actually.

News of the total list of deaths had not left the castle walls before Remus, Tonks, and Fred had been resurrected, or rather pulled back into the living. Which the three involved were eternally thankful for. Therefore, only those within Hogwarts at the time of the event were aware of what had happened, and all were keen to keep it to themselves. People fear what they do not understand after all. But Remus had been surprised that people did not fear them specifically, instead people seemed concerned that it may not be permanent, that they were now fragile. Tonks had nearly exploded with frustration when she tripped into a pile of rubble, only to have everyone in the nearby vicinity rush to her and fuss. She barely had a bruise on her, and yet people behaved as if she had just come down with consumption.

Tonks had never liked people fussing over her, she said once that it just brought more attention to how clumsy she was, or that she was inept at taking care of herself. Remus seemed to be the only one that could get away with it, though he had a feeling this was because she knew he might combust of internal fretting if he could not check her over. He was grateful for that, and as such he could never seem to say no to her, not that she ever asked for something he wasn't willing to give, or at least try to give. As if sensing his train of thought, Tonks addressed him.

"You know, Harry talked to me before we left the Castle," she said, picking Teddy up from the chair as he was beginning to doze off.

"You too?" Remus looked up from the list to look at his wife, who was rising to her feet slowly.

"Hmm, had a lot of opinions, or rather suggestions, as to the new staffing arrangements for the school."

"Here it comes," Remus muttered.

Tonks sighed as she placed Teddy into his playpen, a playpen that had once been hers according to her mother. Not that she stayed in it much apparently.

"He really does look up to you, you know, Remus," she turned, walking to him slowly, "maybe at least give it a thought?"

Remus sighed, reaching his arms up to gather her hands in his, "I gave him my reasons at the end of his Third Year, and-" he held up his hand to stop Tonks interrupting, "I have other reasons now."

He gave her a significant look, before turning to look at his sleeping son in the playpen. Tonks placed a foot on either side of his thighs, before lowering herself down into his lap.

"All very noble reasons Remus, but it's time you actually started doing things that made you happy," 

He held her hands tighter as he placed them at her hips.

"I am happy," he said, honestly. She smiled.

"And you've no idea how much joy it brings to me to hear you say that," she breathed, "but, I know you liked teaching, and I don't want some misplaced notion, about you having to sacrifice that to stay by our side, stop you. Teddy and I, we know we have you, I can take care of Teddy all the same with you at Hogwarts. It's not like we'd never see you, or you, us. So, please, consider it. Who better to teach them but you, haven't you proved that?"

She leaned forward and kissed him. He sighed into her mouth, and tightened the hold he had on her hips. They broke apart by bare inches, as he rested his forehead against hers.

"I'll consider it, I really will."

"That's all I ask," she said, before diving for his mouth again, causing him to inhale sharply as she rolled her hips into his. Hands found their way into each others hair, and lips slid across each other.

There was a sound of a door opening and then a quick surprised noise. They broke apart quickly and looked towards the doorway but the door had already been pulled to again.

"I have really got to start knocking in this house," they heard Andromeda mutter to herself as she quickly walked away from the living room.

Remus let his head fall onto Tonks shoulder as she quivered with barely contained laughter.

"I'm too old for this," he grumbled, and Tonks burst out laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll hopefully have some art up for the chapters soon, if you have any ideas or something you'd like to see written don't hesitate to ask or message me on my tumblr (british-sarcasm-artwork)


	3. Lets try this again

By the end of July, most of their extended family had come to visit. Andromeda had never had so many visitors, and she made an excellent team with Molly Weasley. It was good for her to have much to do; distracting herself with making the house presentable for visitors, and cooking for everyone, stopped her from dwelling too hard on what she still missed. Even if Ted had been the better cook out of the two. Molly, however, was there to pass on her many years of motherly wisdom and house-care. Between the pair of them, Tonks had already bet that there wouldn't be any poultry left come Christmas. Remus had snorted into his tea, which Molly misinterpreted as a sneeze and immediately set him up with a cup of Cure-All.

"We don't want you coming down with a nasty cold, now Remus," Molly had fussed, shuffling away before he could tell her that werewolves couldn't catch colds.

Teddy was greatly enjoying the attention, and had quickly learned that certain hair colours gained a more favourable reaction than others. At the moment it was a fiery red colour, and the twins were stage whispering that Tonks and Remus had better be careful or their mother might accidentally whisk him away with the rest of her young. This comment had been met with a pinch on the ear each by Molly herself.

The current 'play date', as Andromeda had dubbed it, consisted of Mr and Mrs Weasley, the twins, Bill, Fleur, and Harry. Ginny was still at Hogwarts, using her flying skills to help with the recovery team, and Ron and Hermione were helping Kingsley sort out the remaining rumours about the War, and explaining the finer and unknown details of the previous year. It was a long and arduous process, one that they had point blank refused Harry be a part of, and for once he had graciously accepted. So now, Harry was lying belly down on the floor, looking at Teddy, who was also lay on his front looking at Harry.

"Bah," Harry made a noise which was accompanied by opening his mouth wide.

"Bah!" Teddy repeated, copying the action perfectly.

"Blergh," Harry stuck out his tongue

Teddy attempted to copy and then scrunched up his face, hair fading into a silvery grey, which was becoming his recognisable colour of confusion. He ended up making a compromise where he stuck his lips out.

"Guess, he still can't do that yet," Harry chuckled, helping Teddy flip back over onto his back and booping his nose. Teddy's hair returned to his happy ginger, and his Godfather looked up at Bill and Fleur who were looking at them fondly from the sofa. "Probably for the best, I don't want Remus to blame me for bad habits, I honestly doubt Tonks would care though."

"Don't forget Harry, according to Sirius' stories, Remus was as much of a cheeky sod as he was when they were younger. Just more subtle about it," Bill grinned.

"Now, now, Bill," Remus said entering the room and stepping carefully over the boys sprawled on the floor to reach the sitting chair, "didn't your Mother teach you to respect your elders?" he grinned sitting down with his tea.

"Yes, I did!" came Molly's voice from the kitchen, "Bill! What are you doing?"

Remus looked up from his cup at Bill, who was glaring at him. He pulled the cup away from his face to reveal a slightly guilty expression as he mouthed 'I'm so sorry'.

"Nothing Mum! Just messing with Remus, a bit," Bill yelled back, aiming to appease his mother quickly. He missed.

"You leave the poor man alone!" Was Molly's reply.

Remus started sniggering into his tea, as Harry outright laughed, collapsing onto the floor. Fleur just patted Bill on the shoulder commiseratingly, before standing up smoothly and walking off to the Kitchen.

"Boys are so mean to eachozer aren't zey?" came Fleur's voice not a minute later.

Bill grumbled as he shuffled himself deeper into the back of the sofa, while Remus reined in his amusement and sipped his tea. Harry only managed to wind down to muffled chuckles into the carpet, reaching out to tickle Teddy's toes, who was fidgeting under Harry's lack of attention.

_______________________________________________________________________

It was a short while after the Weasleys and Harry had left that there was a knock on the door.

"Could you get that, Remus?" Andromeda asked from the bathroom upstairs, where she was giving Teddy a bath, just as Remus had already gotten up to answer the door.

"On my way," he called up.

Opening the door revealed Tonks, who was grinning at him, and Kingsley, who looked triumphant. Remus wasn't sure which expression, on whose face, he should be more worried about.

"Evening, Remus," Kingsley said as he passed the other man, who had stepped aside to let him in.

"Since when do wizards knock? We have a functioning fireplace," he questioned, closing the door after Tonks had skipped over the door frame and nearly tripped herself directly into him.

Kinglsey shrugged, "it's polite, never much liked simply barging in to someone's house, nothing's that urgent that it can't wait a couple of minutes at the door anymore."

"Fair enough," Remus agreed, as they all walked into the living room. Remus settled himself back into his chair, Kinglsey took a place on the sofa, and Tonks insisted on trying to wedge herself into the same chair as Remus. She huffed when he refused to budge, and he addressed Kinglsey, "Tonks, of course, I was expecting, you on the other hand are a bit of a surprise, what can I do for you, Minister?"

"Oh please, I think present company can be exempt from calling me Minister," Kingsley quickly glanced at Tonks cat-ate-the-cream expression and amended, "when not in public."

Tonks responded by poking her husband in the side, making him jump away reflexively and she was able to claim her spot beside him. He had the distinct impression she morphed her hips to be slightly narrower so she could fit smoothly. 

"I'm actually here because Tonks invited me back for dinner," Kingsley said, inclining his head in her direction, "and I'm sure she has something she wants to tell you."

"Will this explain the manic happy face?" Remus asked, wrapping an arm around her middle.

"I'm getting my job back! Well not my _old_ job, but I'm an Auror again!" Tonks jiggled her arms up and down in excitement as Remus leaned in to give her a kiss.

"That's great news! When do you start?"

"Well, there was a bit of a fuss getting my name back in the system after the whole Ministry take-over, and I'm now going to be an Instructor as well as an 'in the field' Auror," she said, forming quotation marks with her hands, "but I'm not going back until the New Year since that's when everyone's contracts roll over anyway."

"You're going to have so much fun with the new recruits aren't you?"

"You bet'cha, but there won't be any until the following August as everyone's education kind of got shot to hell last year."

Remus made a considering noise, "that's a point," he turned to Kingsley, "but I thought you'd given some students a free pass to go straight into training?"

"I did, but Neville said he wanted to prove he could actually get the grades, and Harry just wanted a bit more time I think. See it through his final year, now that everything is over; have one normal year there before he can leave it for good. Of course, as soon as Ron heard Harry wasn't taking the free pass he decided to stay too."

"I'm a mixture of proud and slightly despairing for those boys."

Here, Kinglsey and Tonks looked at each other and grinned.

"I'm sure you are, but first," Kingsley reached into his inner robes pocket, and pulled out a letter, addressed to him in green ink. "Minerva asked me to hand this to you when she came to the Ministry this morning. Final business with inducting her as the new Headmistress, the usual waffle, but personally I think she wanted proof that you had actually received it and read it."

Reaching forward Remus took the letter from Kingsley's proffered hand, and recognised McGonagall's handwriting. He opened the letter and skimmed the letter before sighing and looking back up at Kingsley.

"Harry been talking to her recently?"

"What?" Kingsley asked innocently, but Tonks who had read the letter too started to giggle.

_To Remus John Lupin,_

_Firstly, I would like to personally thank you for your efforts during the war, I would also like to extend my gratitude to Nymphadora 'Tonks' Lupin. I am hoping that you are well, and that you have both recovered from the ordeal of the past year._

_As it is, I am pleased to announce that I have now been instated as the new Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This requires me to find and secure placements for all future employees of the school. Currently, a few subjects do not have teachers returning from previous years. One such subject is Defence Against the Dark Arts._

_You were clearly an incredibly competent teacher when you taught in the School year 1993-1994. I would like to formally invite you to re-take this position when the School re-opens on the 1st September of this year. I do hope you consider this offer and will take the position. Please send reply by the 14th August._

_Sincerely,  
Headmistress Minerva McGonagall ___

"I like how I still get 'Tonks' included in my name," she said.

Remus was still staring at the letter in his hands.

"You don't have to give an answer right away, Remus," Kingsley cautioned, "think about it, but I know you'd be my first choice too. You've still got 2 weeks."

Remus sighed, "yeah, and the full moon is right in the middle of that." 

He passed the letter to Tonks and put his face in his hands, suddenly very tired. He had loved teaching, but he also couldn't forget that everyone in the wizarding world knew what he was. Regardless of his participation in the war, against the dark forces, he doubted public opinion on a werewolf teaching children would change very much.

"I'm sure you'll find time to write a letter as to why you think this is a terrible idea," Tonks said complacently, patting him on the shoulder.

Remus side-eyed her, unimpressed.

"You probably don't want to hear this," Kinglsey interjected, "but have you considered how you're own reactions to your Lycanthropy re-enforce everyone else's bias opinions?"

"HA!" Tonks whipped round to face Remus while she gestured at Kingsley, "see? It's not just because I'm married to you that I think you're worth anything. You are, you always have been, but if you're going to be a fucking idiot I'll tell you so."

Kingsley snorted into his hand, and quickly turned his head to feign a coughing fit, while Remus' jaw dropped as he stared at his wife, who was looking at him rather smug.

"Come on, where is that Marauder spirit I heard from Sirius all the time. What happened to Moony, the guy who thought it would be a good idea to charm the steps in the Entrance Hall to play like a xylophone?"

Remus grinned. That _had_ been a good idea.

"You ... really think I should go for this don't you?" he asked after a moments consideration.

"YES!" she screeched, throwing her arms up and nearly smacking him upside the head in the process.

He looked from Kingsley, hiding a grin behind his hand, and his wife, who was looking at him eagerly. He turned back to the letter, now crumpled in Tonks' hand.

"Alright, I'll tell McGonagall I'll take it."

Andromeda had to race down the stairs to see why her daughter had suddenly started screaming and why a man was yelling. She burst into the living room, wand drawn, only to find Tonks clinging to Lupin's side, his head trapped in her crushing embrace, while Kingsley was yelling something about Potter owing him 10 Galleons.

_______________________________________________________________________

Remus apparated after lunch the next day. They had hashed out the finer details such as, where was Teddy going to go? Could Remus pop back every weekend? Was Tonks going to be fine looking after Teddy on her own? 

Andromeda had piped up saying - 'I am still here you know' - and Tonks had responded with - 'I caught Dark Wizards for a living, I'm sure a little metamorph will be no problem'. Never the less he still promised to make regular trips back.

"I don't want Teddy to forget who I am," he said, bordering on slight panic, as he gazed down at his son sitting in his lap.

"Oh for God's sake," Tonks breathed, nearly hurling a cushion into his face, "you'll be gone 5 days at a time, his memory isn't that bad."

He appeared in Hogsmeade. The sun was shining, birds were chirping, and people were bustling about with amiable chatter. He suddenly felt extremely out of place, realising just how much of a shut-in he had become lately.

Making his way quickly through Hogsmeade, he couldn't help but notice how well this place was thriving once again. He watched, with the same boyish admiration he'd had when he was eleven and seeing the castle for the first time, as Hogwarts became clearer and he could see how well it had been restored. There were still upturned trees on the way up to the front gates, and imbedded stone bricks littering the grounds, but he thought it added to the place. Showed how much the Castle had taken, and it was still standing, after all this time, it would keep standing. The safest place in the world, and he was going to be teaching here.

Walking into the Entrance Hall, he nodded at a couple of the portraits lining the walls, and resisted the urge to pretend to play a tune on the stairs. 

He finally reached the Head of School's Office, and suddenly realised his error. He didn't know the password. With Dumbledore you could stand there and reel off a list of all known sweets, muggle and wizard alike. That is, until the gargoyle got annoyed and started to make a kettle whistle noise.

He stared at the gargoyle and it stared back.

"Bugger," he hissed.

"Who's there?" came McGonagall's voice from the gargoyle.

Remus jumped back slightly in surprise, before he cautiously approached again and addressed the statue.

"Remus Lupin."

The gargoyle jumped aside, revealing the staircase that had started to revolve, allowing him access up to McGonagall's new office. Remus knocked on the door.

"Come in, Lupin."

He opened the door and walked in, taking quick stock of the room he was entering before facing McGonagall, who was writing down disjointed notes on a piece of parchment weighed down by an open book. The office didn't look all that different from Dumbledore's time, only the addition of the man's own portrait in the room gave it away, and there wasn't one of Snape anywhere. 

"Do take a seat, Lupin."

He did so, feeling a lot like he was a student again facing reprimand for not reeling in his friends behaviour. McGonagall placed her quill back in the ink pot and raised her head to look at him.

"Please tell me you're here to take the Defence Against the Dark Arts position?"

"Actually, yes, I am."

"Oh thank goodness," she said, relaxing in her chair minutely, "I cannot express how grateful I am for that, because I honestly didn't want anyone else."

"You could have asked Harry," Lupin shrugged.

McGonagall actually snorted, "the DA was a fantastically run club according to it's members, but I think the actual work and planning involved in being a full time teacher would cause him an early breakdown."

"Ah, yes, how could I have forgotten the paperwork?"

"Too late, Lupin, you can't back out now," she said. "Actually I'm glad you came to me in person. I made a slight mistake on that letter I sent you. Would it possible for you to arrive at the Castle a week earlier? Some changes have been made and I'd like to go through them all with everyone at once. It would also give the faculty time to see everyone and the new replacements before the start of term."

"I think I can fit that into my currently non-existent schedule."

McGonagall made a humming noise, "I also wanted to discuss your living arrangements."

"Hmm?"

"Well," she paused, "I had assumed you'd either want to live with your wife, or have her and your son come here-"

"Wait, they could both live here? But where-"

"Good lord, man, this Castle is huge. I'm sure we can find somewhere for you all to stay during Term time. I hear Tonks has got her job back at the Ministry, and about time too. When her shifts start again it would be a simple case of her walking down to Hogsmeade and apparating to the Ministry. As for Teddy, well one, I think Harry might explode when he finds out he is within arms reach of his Godson when at school. Two, Pomprey is very adapt at taking care of children, I've heard, but I _know_ she has a soft spot for infants. Flitwick too. Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure any teacher in this school wouldn't mind baby sitting him while you are actively teaching."

Remus was staring, he knew he was, but then he started to grin.

"So, I could have them all here, with me, at Hogwarts?"

"That is what I just said, do try to keep up."

He felt like doing a little jig. There was no way he could have this, but at the same time he knew he wanted nothing else.

"Thank you, Minerva."

McGonagall smiled softly, "you're very welcome. However, may I ask, what really tipped you over into taking the job? I thought I wouldn't be hearing from you until the thirteenth, and I was made aware of both Harry's and Tonks numerous attempts to get you to consider asking me yourself."

Lupin chuckled, "it was Kingsley in the end, he was right. If I really want peoples treatment of me to change I need to stop _agreeing_ with the way I'm treated, I need to stop expecting it, fight it. Prove to them that I am capable of doing things a regular wizard can, that I am no different bar that one day in twenty-eight. If people see that I'm perfectly comfortable with what I am, and that I have control over that, there isn't much they can do to me. Then, they'll start to accept it too."

"Hmm," McGonagall nodded, looking pleased, "and it only took you thirty-three years. I'm so proud of you."

"Oh, shush."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just have one more chapter on this vein before it'll be random ficlets being added in out of chronological order, but it will have time-stamps. Hopefully draw some art for this while I'm in France.


	4. Not in the Job Description

It was a week before the start of the new school year and Remus was about to catch a train, destined for Hogsmeade, with Tonks and Teddy. 

It was a very tearful farewell, with Andromeda threatening to kidnap Teddy so she could keep him all to herself. She had hugged her daughter very tightly, while Tonks eyes bulged comically, wheezing at Remus to save her. Once Tonks was released, Remus then turned, with Teddy propped against his right shoulder, to board the train. To his surprise, Tonks took Teddy from him just as Andromeda turned him about and gave him a hug too. He blinked, Tonks muffling her laughter in Teddy's hair, which was a cheerful gold colour.

"You take care now, _both_ of you," Andromeda said sternly, looking both from Tonks and Remus, who she still had a tight hold of.

"Yes, mum," Tonks sighed, rolling her eyes, turning to grab their luggage, "We'll be back over the holidays, don't worry."

"And you," Andromeda leaned back to grab Remus' face in her hands, "you better not get cold feet again, if I hear you've done another runner-"

"I won't," Remus replied instantly, "I promise."

She must have seen the sincerity in his face for she loosened her hold, and patted him gently on the cheek. The train whistle blew.

"Off you go," she said, waving her hands as if to waft them onto the train.

"One minute she's crying for us not to leave, now she wants shot of us," Tonks mumbled, passing Teddy back to Remus as they got onto the train and sat in an empty carriage. They waved to Andromeda out of the window until they could no longer see her.

Upon reaching Hogsmeade, and stepping out onto the platform, Teddy was swiftly taken from Remus yet again, to his visual displeasure. Tonks stuck out her tongue at him and their son giggled at his pouting face.

"Teddy and I'll be wandering around Hogsmeade for a bit, probably end up in the Three Broomsticks. No doubt Teddy will have Rosmerta wrapped around his little finger in less than two minutes flat," she snorted, "want me to take our stuff with me while everything gets sorted or...?"

"No, that's alright," Remus said, already shrinking their things to carry up to Hogwarts, "I'll take it all, then I can come and fetch you once everything is sorted. I think Teddy might be enough of a hand full as it is."

They both eyed their now strawberry-coloured haired son, who was cross eyed staring at his own snot bubble. Remus handed Tonks the bag full of 'Teddy Essentials', wordlessly.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

Retracing his steps from three weeks prior, up to Hogwarts, he now noticed that the Forest seemed quieter, motionless. He assumed it was because a majority of the creatures that had dwelled within it had been killed during the battle, but it also gave him a sensation of great calm to look into the forest now. He would have to go exploring at some point, maybe take Hagrid with him and swap stories about the place.

He finally reached the Castle, and slipped in through the one open door to the Entrance Hall. Placing his belongings down by the door, and returning them to their original size, he took stock of his surroundings. Just under a dozen people were milling about around the bottom stair of the grand staircase that lead up into the main parts of the Castle. Many of the faces he recognised, either as teachers he had been a pupil of, or those he had known as colleagues. A few he did not recognise, however.

There was of course, Flitwick, returning for Charms; staring off into space was Trelawny, for Divination; Sprout for Herbology; Hagrid, looking proud to represent Care of Magical Creatures; Slughorn had been convinced to continue Potions it seemed; Sinistra was still here for Astronomy, and Hooch was standing to attention at the back of the group. He saw Professors Vector and Babbling for Arithmancy and Ancient Runes, respectively, standing near the staircase, discussing a recent discovery on Dimensional Magic. Remus studied the three people he did not recall ever seeing before. He assumed one must be here to teach Muggle Studies, and one was for Tranfiguration, but he had no idea what other subject the third was here to teach.

Remus came to stand in his own space, looking around the hall, letting the idle chatter become background noise as he listened for approaching footsteps of McGonagall. Instead, he heard the giant footfalls of who could only be Hagrid, and felt the giant man lean down to enter his space.

"Remus! Glad ya' came back," Hagrid whispered genially, placing a hand onto Remus' shoulder.

Thankfully, the full moon had been two weeks ago. Therefore, Remus was at his most healthy and his extra werewolf strength was in full play, otherwise his legs may have given out under Hagrid's good cheer. 

"Been wonderin' if yer were gonna come back."

"After much deliberation and pressure from many parties," Remus murmured back, lips twitching upward to show it was in good humour.

Further comments were halted by the tapping of shoes coming down the staircase. Everyone turned to watch as Headmistress McGonagall came swiftly down the stairs.

"Good Afternoon, everyone, I take it you all had a pleasant journey and nothing is amiss?"

There were positive murmurs all round, and the congregation came in closer together at the foot of the stairs; McGonagall had stopped half way down to address them fully.

"First, I would like to thank all of you for either returning to your posts," she nodded at the group of teachers such as Flitwick and Sprout, "and those of you have taken up the post upon my invitation. I would like you all to welcome Professor Lupin, back to his post of Defence Against the Dark Arts," this was accompanied by a nod at Remus, which he reciprocated. 

Among the polite applause, Remus heard a curse and subtly started to try and make himself seem smaller. When he turned towards the source, however, he was surprised to see Slughorn dejectedly handing over a few Galleons to a very smug looking Flitwick. Seeing him looking over, Flitwick winked and Slughorn waved weakly. Remus did a little wave back, if a little confused about it.

"You're in Flitwick's good books for the rest of the year, I reckon," Hagrid chuckled.

"Exactly how big was the betting pool on whether I'd take the Defence position or not?" Remus asked, but didn't get an answer as McGonagall continued.

"I would also like you all to welcome our new Muggle Studies Professor, Ms Angel Sage," McGonagall indicated a tan skinned, wavy dark haired woman, who waved, the long sleeves of her blue dress swishing. "Also, Mr. Midas Augrect, who will now be teaching Alchemy," a pale blonde man, with an equally pale moustache, wearing a suit inclined his head at the crowd. 

"Alchemy will now be a permanent subject offered to students in their third year, and will not be an optional side class for extra credit," McGonagall continued.

"Interesting decision," Remus noted, leaning toward Hagrid so he could hear.

"Sounds fun though doesn't it? Shame it wasn't offered before, bet Hermione would have loved that," Hagrid replied.

"I think she had enough to be getting on with in third year, if I remember correctly," Remus reasoned, smiling slightly.

"Finally, my successor for Transfiguration; Ewon Clement, " finally the third individual, that Remus could not identify from before, held up a hand in greeting. They were androgynous in appearance, and wore a set of to-the-knee robes with leggings underneath. There was something in-human about their appearance, but he wasn't sure exactly what it was.

McGonagall had now come down to the bottom of the stairs and was handing out envelopes to each of the teachers.

"These are the assigned textbooks that have been suggested by the Educational Board at the Ministry of Magic," everyone could practically feel the disparaging tone in her voice. "However, the new Minister for Magic has agreed that the Headmistress is allowed to _recommend_ books until the system for each Professor to choose their own course content can be brought back into effect."

This was met with elated chatter among the gathered Professors, but Remus was now a bit worried. He had already mentally compiled a list of which textbooks he would supplement his classes with. What textbook was he going to have to contend with now?

Remus was handed his own envelope and opened it with a feeling of dread as he eyed the book title. He didn't recognise it, which didn't bode well. He looked up at McGonagall who gave him a brief apologetic look before handing Hagrid his envelope. That meant the Ministry had still automatically assigned a book and McGonagall couldn't devise an alternative which appeased the Board. This was going to be fun.

He was about to fold the envelope when he felt something thin but firm still inside. He tipped out it's contents and found two fabric badges sitting in his palm.

"As you will have all noticed by now, you each have a badge with a symbol depicting your subject, to be worn on the front of your robes," McGonagall informed, as Remus noticed the top badge was a shield with a skull on it. "Four of you will also have badges depicting a House each, these will also be worn on your robes to denote that you are the Head of that House."

Remus glanced down at his palm again and moved the front badge away with his forefinger. Underneath, was a Gryffindor Lion badge.

"What?" he said, out loud.

Hagrid looked down and saw what he was holding.

"Ah, congratulations, Lupin!" Hagrid accompanied this outburst with a pat on the back that would have sent a full human stumbling.

"What?" he said again.

Others turned to view him curiously, even while his brain made the logical conclusion that McGonagall could no longer be Head of Gryffindor house as she was Headmistress, and therefore the position was open. Still, he looked up at McGonagall, feeling slightly betrayed that he hadn't been forewarned about this. She looked back, pursing her lips slightly, and he instantly knew she was holding back a smile. He narrowed his eyes at her, guessing this was the start of her good natured revenge against his shenanigans when he was a student.

"You will now also have details of your class schedules, the new subject based attire for Professors to wear during class, and the list of students that will be in each year for your classes," McGonagall concluded, re-taking her position mid way up the staircase. "If any of you have any questions I will be available in my office, simply speak your name and intention. Now, I'm sure all of you would like to get settled in and begin your preparations for the start of term. Lupin, if I could have a word?"

Remus stayed where he was, as the others filed out, drifting towards each other and eyeing each others respective letters.

"See ya around some time then, eh?" Hagrid said, retreating back out into the grounds.

"Of course!" Remus replied, making plans to propose the idea of exploring the Forest with the other man when he felt up to it.

"I did try to dissuade their choice of reading material," McGonagall said briskly, clearly still irritated with the Ministry's decision to interfere with Hogwarts affairs.

"I'm sure I'll manage, and if it proves to be too limiting I'll just suggest that extra curricular ... _defence clubs_ , would be highly advised." He gave her a side long look, that she must have understood for she wore a pursed expression that meant she was restraining a smirk.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

After being given directions to his new living space, Remus decided to pop down to Hogsmeade again and meet his wife. Maybe they'd get a late lunch in the village somewhere.

He walked out into the grounds and saw that Augrect, Clement, and Sprout were talking just a few metres away from him. Telling himself not to be anti-social, and work on that automatic assumption he always made that people didn't want him around, he walked over to them.

"Hello, Remus, glad to have you back," Sprout said brightly.

"Glad to be back, if I'm honest."

"Ah, so I'm not the only one with parents who decided to consult a naming seer," Augrect had turned to appraise him, but his eyes did not seem to judge. "Unless, you're name really is just a coincidence, hell of a thing if it is."

Before Augrect could fully develop his apologetic expression, Remus interjected, "No, no, my parents did go to a seer. I think they came away more confused than anything else."

"I think my parents believed I would become a great leader, named after a King. They didn't think about the nuances of his character," a shrug, "never the less, I became obsessed with Alchemy, and not even for wealth, I just like the colour gold." He grinned, "but my obsession, has made me rather wealthy."

"Can't say the same for my naming destiny," Remus said with a wry grin.

Augrect inclined his head in agreement, "I can imagine. Hopefully, this will be an opportunity to change that."

"After all, your Father had an instinctual knack for dealing with all things Dark," Sprout inputted, "have you spoken with him lately?"

Remus immediately looked guilty, "not as much as I should have."

"I'm not sure I've heard the name Lupin before, should I have?" Clements had finally spoken up, after seemingly analysing the current company they had found themselves in.

"Not especially. The Lupins are not a particularly well known family, we're a bit of a bunch of shut ins. My mother was also a Muggle, so it's probably no surprise you would not have heard of my father after that marriage, _had_ he been from a notable lineage," Remus said kindly.

"Wizards will forever confuse me in that regard. They insist only the purest of families are of any note, yet completely disregard the resulting inbreeding which must occur for pureblood families to remain so." Clement suddenly looked a little panicked, "no offense to anyone present, I meant no harm."

"Well, none of us here are from pureblood families," Sprout reassured, "and what you said is true, but only the most conservative of families truly insist on pureblood matches anymore. You speak of Wizards as if they are a foreign concept?"

"Ah, yes, I was sure someone might have mentioned it before now," they admitted, looking surprised, but not displeased

Sprout patted them on their shoulder, "you'll find we're not a particularly gossipy bunch here, well, not in a malicious way at least."

Clement nodded understandingly, before continuing, "I'm actually half Forest Elf, but my mother was a witch. She died, unfortunately; a rare disease that not even the Forest Folk could cure. This is why I was raised in the Elven communities, they have a natural gift for the Transfiguration and Charms practices of Wizards, you see." They surveyed her captive audience, "my heritage will also explain my slightly ... non-human appearance. I'm sure one of you, at-least, is asking yourself which gender I am?"

"Male," Augrect answered immediately.

"Female," Sprout said, a second after Augrect.

"I prefer not to assume until told by the person in question," Remus replied.

Clement turned to view them each, "interesting. Usually, the majority will assume I'm female, a couple think I'm male, but very few default to neutral." They looked at Remus, rather impressed, while Augrect straightened slightly.

"Well," Remus started, "I just don't like to assume things of people."

"No, I guess you wouldn't," Clement surveyed him a moment longer, before they appeared to come to a decision. "Nice to meet you, Remus Lupin," they said, smiling as they held out their hand to shake Remus' own. He reached forward to return the favour, thinking this year might be easier than expected.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

"Sweet Merlin, did you single-handedly change every Rule of Hogwarts? You've been gone for ages. Teddy's started to clock that I've just been rotating the same two toys around so he doesn't get bored," Tonks gesticulated at their son, who was eyeing the floppy dog toy, he had favoured lately, suspiciously. As suspiciously as any 3 month old could. Remus noted that he seemed to be growing at a rather accelerated rate, even for a baby.

After politely excusing himself from the conversation back at the castle he'd made his way down to the popular pub of Hogsmeade. He had quickly spotted his wife with her fluorescent green hair, no doubt a choice she had made so he could easily find her in the crowd.

"I swear someone was about start when I tried to breastfeed Teddy, but Rosmerta looked like she was gonna decapitate someone with the beer tray," Tonks grinned. 

Remus could see the bartender a couple of tables away, no doubt turning down yet another ill advised dating proposal. He suddenly remembered Sirius' attempts, he at least had managed to make her laugh. He grinned at the memory.

"I got a little sidetracked, talking to other new Professors," Remus explained, apologetically, gathering up Teddy's things to put back into the baby bag. Hoisting Teddy up to rest against his shoulder, he held out a free hand to Tonks.

"Well, aren't you the social butterfly," she joked, taking his proffered hand and helping him slip the strap of the baby bag over his shoulder. "Also, you're hardly a new Professor, you've taught there before."

"It's a new thing I'm trying, and I only taught there for a year," Remus reminded, gently.

They got some food to go, and exited the pub, waving at Rosmerta as she passed by and winked at Tonks. Setting a sedate pace through the village, they chatted idly about what their new daily routine would be. Making plans to visit Andromeda as soon as possible, it was at this point Remus breached the subject of contacting his father. Tonks was surprised he hadn't wanted to discuss this earlier, she hadn't actually met his dad yet. Then again, Remus barely talked about himself as it was, and she had heard him talk about his father even less. Still, she looked forward to the day where she would finally be able to meet him and introduce herself as the woman who had married his son. She paused her thoughts for a moment, considering that it may actually go horribly wrong, given her luck with social situations. Tonks was then convinced Remus did actually have a sixth sense, because in the next moment he had wrapped an arm around her back.

"It'll be fine, and he'll love you. The fact that you accepted me as I am will automatically endear you to him, I can assure you of that," he said, resting his head against hers.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

They followed the directions McGonagall had given Remus and came to a door on the fifth floor. There were no others doors in the corridor, except for one located at the very far end, which Remus knew was used for Charms occasionally.

"Home sweet home, I guess," he said, pushing the door open so they could peer inside.

After one look, Tonks grabbed the edge of the door and threw it open.

"Home sweet home is _right_ , look at this place, it's so _nice_!" Tonks gushed, rushing inside to peer around.  
The walls were covered in dark wooden panels, to match the dark floorboards, the continuity of wall to floor broken only by pine skirting boards. A chestnut coloured fireplace contained an already lit fire, and a similarly coloured table stood to one side. Various empty bookshelves lined the walls and Remus could already envision where he would put everything. Tonks had moved on to investigate where the door to their left went, and was delighted to find their bedroom, which had a window, and then the bathroom leading on from that. 

"This place is amazing," Tonks said, beaming brightly, coming back into the main room with her hair the brightest shade of purple Remus had ever seen. "This is going to be so much fun!"

She did a strange sort of wiggle, he assumed of pent up excitement, before ducking back into the bedroom. He heard more happy gasps, and then an 'ooooh' of appreciation. He bent his head down to look at his son, who was turning his head from one side to the next, taking in his new surroundings.

"What do you think, cub? Do you like our new digs?" he asked softly.

Teddy turned to look up at his fathers voice, but made no comment. He did snuggle down into his chest though without complaint, so Remus took that to mean the new room had Teddy's approval.

"We're gonna have to get Molly to babysit tonight," Tonks informed him, coming out of the bedroom again.

"What why?" Remus asked, subconsciously holding Teddy to him even tighter.

Tonks just reached up, plucked Teddy from him, took off the baby bag, placed their son down in the corner of the sofa, and looked back at him. With half-lidded eyes and a raised eyebrow she wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him down to whisper in his ear.

"Because we seriously need to break this place in."

He was going to die of a heart attack, he just knew it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand i'm done with the start up chapters, if any of you have prompts or ideas you would like to see give me a bell.
> 
> A reference for what their new room looks like can be found [here](http://british-sarcasm-artwork.tumblr.com/post/117793866720/moony-night-remadora-survives-au-once-upon-a) (albeit with evidence of being lived in for a while)  
> The new Teaching robes and subject badges can be found [here](http://british-sarcasm-artwork.tumblr.com/post/120940103405/chapter-4-not-in-the-job-description-everyone)
> 
> \- The Alchemy Professor came from Midas (Greek King who could turn anything into gold) Augrect (first two letter being Au, the symbol for gold)
> 
> \- The Muggle Studies Professor was based off the name Angie Sage, who writes another favourite series of mine called Septimus Heap
> 
> \- The Transfiguration Professor in my head is based off Pearl from Steven Universe, the name just came from looking at my bookcase, saw Eoin Coilfer and David Clement-Davies *shrugs*


	5. Chapter 24: Werewolves

Defence Against the Dark Arts lessons following a Wizarding War were an interesting affair. While everyone was keen to learn the core necessities of Duelling, the current Professor never wanted to teach duelling ever again. However, the concept was still broached in Second Year, and now a Tournament was held amongst Fifth Year students in honour of Dumbledore's Army. So far, no-one had been taken to St. Mungo's, and Remus was rather keen to keep it that way. He was still incredibly thankful that the news of his re-instatement as Professor had been released only shortly before Kingsley had given him his Order or Merlin. Needless to say the angry howlers he'd received at breakfast in the Great Hall had stopped rather dramatically after that. Tonks had never looked so smug in her life.

Remus walked into his Defence class just as the last student had sat down. No-one was ever punished for being late in his classes; an unspoken rule dictated that only when a student entered the classroom after the Professor, would they be considered late. So, for Defence Against the Dark Arts, with Professor Lupin was teaching, that was practically never.

The classroom fell silent, they had been waiting for this lesson with slight trepidation. Today was when they hit the chapter on Werewolves, as all Dark creatures with a Ministry rating of five or above would now only be covered in seventh year. This could only get awkward.

When he finally reached the front and stood behind his desk, he asked everyone to open their books to today's chapter. After placing a thermos cup of tea on his desk, he also opened the textbook to the relevant page, and then stared. The class held their breath.

"Well, this is awkward," Remus said, staring at the chapter title. He read on a little more, snorted, and started flicking the pages before sighing, "yeah, we're not using the textbook today, put them back."

The class practically flung their books back in their bags and waited for his next instruction. Not using the textbooks usually meant a practical lesson, but given the subject they were apprehensive as to what the Professor would suggest.

Remus pulled his chair out, sat down heavily, and then dragged his hands down his face.

"Ugh," he grunted, a couple of the students giggled, "alright, since the book is terribly bias, lets just have a Q and A session. You ask me questions and I answer them. This will no doubt get very intrusive very quickly so I'd ask you all to please remain polite."

He looked at his students who were staring at him, jaws dropped. It was Neville who was first to timidly raise his hand.

"Yes?" Remus raised an eyebrow.

"Is it true you have extra-sensitive hearing even while not in wolf form?"

He looked rather surprised, "actually yes it is. Even from here, I can hear sounds from out in the Hogwarts grounds if I concentrate hard enough. I also have heightened sense of smell, and better movement recognition than the general population."

Zabini piped up, "so... you can totally hear anything we're talking about here at the back?"

Remus smirked, "Yes, I can."

"Shit."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," his fellow students sniggered, "I also won't tell Miss Carrow what you had planned for next Wednesday."

The classroom roared with laughter as both Hestia and Flora whipped round to stare at Zabini, who was slowly slipping down in his chair, red in the face and mortified.

"Not cool, Professor," he groaned amid the laughter, Remus just smiled and tipped his thermos at him before taking a drink.

"Can you run faster too?" asked Seamus excitedly.

"If the occasion calls for it," he answered blithely, "which if I'm honest was very convenient in my youth when my best friends would decide to spontaneously set off a box of exploding frog fireworks in the Entrance Hall."

Harry and Ron exploded with laughter, while Hermione just leaned away from the pair of them.

"For those of you who don't know, by the way, said friends were one James Potter and Sirius Black. They were also the only ones who ever got caught."

The class definitely heard the note of smugness in his voice at that and joined in with the hilarity.

"Professor?" 

Remus had almost forgotten that Draco Malfoy was still in his class, and apparently so had Harry, Ron, and Hermione, because they all turned to regard him warily; daring him to say something cruel. However, Remus noticed that Draco had lost the arrogant, sneering tone, and now seemed, openly curious.

"Yes?"

"Why is it, that Werewolves play into the stereotype that Wizards hate them for? Surely, they're not doing themselves any favours, but you stayed here for Hogwarts."

Harry narrowed his eyes at Malfoy, but the blonde was not looking at him, he was giving all of his attention to his Professor. Remus considered him for a moment before formulating an answer.

"The wizarding community's own bigotry and ignorance causes werewolves to turn away and become the very beings Wizards fear and distrust. It is very difficult to continue living in such a toxic environment, believe me," he said earnestly. "Most of the werewolves living in the wild packs do not actually harbour any ill will against Wizards. It's a case of pack mentality, you hear so much hate day in, day out, from those around you, you start to lose your sense of self. Get them away from the others and ask for their own opinions, most of them will say that they just want to go home. Back to their family and friends, the life they had before they got bitten. An event they could not control."

"Some don't though, some seem to _embrace_ it, they ... enjoy it," the class heard the revulsion in Malfoy's voice and his attempt to not shudder.

Some of the Gryffindors looked thunderous.

"Ahh, yes, you would've met one Fenrir Greyback wouldn't you?" Remus asked, taking the students by surprise with how candidly he spoke. 

He stood and started to walk slowly between the rows of chairs towards Malfoy, who was in the back corner.

"Greyback is ... disgusting," he shrugged as the class turned to give him incredulous expressions. The Professor Lupin they knew was polite to a fault. "Well he is. Even by the common werewolf standards, he was cruel, vulgar, controlling, completely deranged, and extremely violent. Just as humans have those who seem to be inherently malicious, you have your werewolves who are worse than the general misconceptions."

"But," Malfoy sounded incredulous, "that just makes them as diverse as ... well, Wizards, doesn't it? I mean, you're a werewolf, but you're nothing like that, you _teach_."

Harry and Ron looked gobsmacked, but Remus was smiling, "yes it does, but most people don't take the time to teach themselves about the finer points of a species they are adamant are dangerous." He sounded rueful, but his body language was still positive and strong. 

"That's so lazy," Malfoy muttered.

"Coming from you that's saying something," Harry snarked across the room.

"Shut up, Potter," 

"Enough, you two," warned Remus gently, and they fell silent.

"Sir, was Greyback, you know, actually a Grey wolf? If so that's a bit of a coincidence," asked Daphne from the front of the class.

Remus couldn't help but start to laugh, "I'd imagine that is the name he chose for himself when he embraced the Werewolf, er, lifestyle. It's very common amongst werewolves to leave their former selves behind. Fenrir, a giant wolf born of a God, destined to kill Odin during the end of the world." Remus rolled his eyes, "Yes, I'm sure that would have greatly pleased him. I haven't the foggiest what his birth name was, and really it doesn't matter. However, before you ask, mine _was_ a coincidence; an unfortunate combination of irony and a consulted name seer."

"Name seer?" Harry asked.

"Oh yeah," Ron breathed, "you wouldn't- some wizarding families consult naming seers to determine what to name their kid, you know, on what they're gonna be known for, or what they gonna do, or ... oh."

The class looked up at their Professor and a couple winced.

"Yes, it is unfortunate that I was thus given the name Remus. One of two brothers raised by wolves, and later killed by the other, mind you. Coupled with the fact that the family name was Lupin, which looks an awful lot like Lupine, my fate was probably sealed. The final nail in the coffin was when my father had the fantastic idea of pissing off a werewolf."

Here he halted and suddenly looked very guilty, hushed gasps following this revelation.

"You mean, you're a werewolf because-" Hermione started.

"Yes, but I've never really blamed my father," Remus said quickly. "He has always taken care of me, and tried everything to make my life more manageable. The Werewolf in question wasn't openly known as a werewolf, but my father, a ministry employee for the Regulation and Control of Dangerous Creatures, recognised the signs. He couldn't seem to help himself."

Remus shrugged.

"As for the original question, Greyback was indeed a wolf of grey colouring."

"What colour fur do you have as a wolf?" Flora asked, suddenly.

"It's also grey. A Werewolf's colouring will depend on the colouring of the werewolf that bit them."

The class started talking amongst themselves for a while, discussing what other fur colours there were, but Hermione was looking at Remus quizzically. Her eyes widened suddenly as the penny dropped. He inclined his head at her gently, but she kept the discovery to herself, taking a moment to gather herself.

"Are there not people who willing seek the bite?" Hermione decided to ask instead. Remus was surprised it had taken her so long to outright ask a question, and Ron was now looking at her like she had a death wish. Sounding apologetic she continued, "Only, I've heard of some humans willingly giving themselves over to Vampires, I just wondered if there was a similar subculture with Werewolves."

"Once again, I'm impressed with your extra curricular reading Miss. Granger, but I'm sorry to say it is actually true." He looked around at his class who were murmuring to each other once more, having fallen silent at Hermione's question. "I am just as confused as you, I wouldn't wish my condition on anyone and yet some individuals actively seek it," he shook his head and shuddered slightly, "I can only imagine it's individuals who wish to gain more physical power, though I can't say the trade off is _that_ good."

There was a pause before another eager question burst from a Gryffindor. This time it was Dean.

"How much can you lift?"

Remus snorted as the class started taking bets as to how strong he was. Some going as far as to wager he could lift a House table in the Great Hall.

"Well, he could certainly lift me when I was 8 months pregnant easily enough," came a voice from the doorway.

Looking round, Remus smiled softly as he saw Tonks leaning against the doorway, hair brown so as not to draw attention to herself. Upon the entire class looking her way, however, it immediately became fluorescent pink. She walked in until she reached her husband to give him kiss on the cheek. Some of the students aww'd while Ron gave them a thumbs up.

"And you're disrupting my class, why?" Remus asked, now grinning.

"Interesting subject you're covering today," she answered breezily, waltzing past him as she charmed the chalk board to write 'Werewolves' in a flowery cursive font, then sat on his desk.

The students were all smirking now, eyes flicking from one Professor to the other. They loved it when Tonks came into the class while Remus was teaching; all his professionalism went out the window, and nobody could wind him up as quickly as she could. They'd tried on more than one occasion, and Ginny Weasley currently held the record of 11 minutes and 43 seconds.

"Yes, well, the textbooks offend me," he sniffed, "so I'm running a Q and A session, they ask and I answer."

"Really?" her manic grin had appeared on her face, the one that usually spelt trouble for him, "That's rather open for you, isn't it?"

"It's that or try and read the chapter while not laughing, and I don't have the energy to give it any false respect. Besides," he gestured to himself, "werewolf, right here. I'd rather I teach about my own kind thank you."

He straightened his robes in mock haughtiness before striding to the front of the class, head held high. The students were tittering softly again, and only got louder when he bodily pushed Tonks along his desk, to make space, so that he could sit on it next to her.

"Does this mean we can ask Tonks questions too?" Neville piped up.

"Yes," Tonks nodded.

"Good Merlin, _no_ ," Remus said, emphatically.

Tonks punched him half heartedly on the shoulder without turning to look, and called upon a student two rows from the front, whose hand has just shot up.

"Do werewolves get territorial much?" asked Hestia.

"Terribly so," Tonks responded in mock despair, while Remus turned to her looking reproachful. 

"The grey wolf is supposed to have a bite strength capable of snapping bones, and they can run really fast too. Werewolves are practically amped up versions of regular wolves right?" Ron hypothesised.

"...yes?" Remus answered, unsure and slightly wary, "you've certainly done some extra reading too."

"I got curious. How fast can you run then?"

"You won't see me running anywhere."

"No, I mean at Full Moon."

"Oh, in that case," Remus paused to think for a moment, "no idea. I've never exactly had anyone stand to one side and time me. I'd imagine the wolf could run pretty fast if pushed though, werewolves are notoriously difficult to catch. Not that you would want to catch up with one, mind."

"I wouldn't mind," Tonks murmured, grinning into her husbands thermos as Remus nearly snapped his neck, whipping round to face her. Clearly, only he had heard her. 

"How much stronger are you than a regular wolf?"

"How much more can you-"

"A lot. The answer is probably a lot. A Werewolf is a wolf on steroids, there you go," Remus snagged his thermos back and practically downed the whole thing.

"Is it true that Werewolves are immune to most magical diseases?" asked Parvati after a pause.

"Yes, it is," answered Tonks, who had beaten Remus to a response as he swallowed a mouth full of tea, "and I know Remus is immune to nearly, if not all, natural biological maladies. I don't know of any magical ones that have affected werewolves. They are also immune to a variety of jinxes and hexes."

"You make it sound like I'm impervious to damage, which isn't the case," Remus added, poking her in retribution, "and how do you know all that, I didn't even know all that."

"I thought I'd look it up. Does come in handy though," Tonks retorted, sticking her tongue out for extra effect. Remus deigned not to respond to that.

"Werewolves do have weaknesses. The closer to the full moon we get, the less..." he waved his hand around for a suitable word.

"Collected?" Tonks offered.

"Thank you - the less collected we become. You have to understand the wolf is a completely different consciousness, and in the 3 days, just before, during, and after the full moon, the persons personality often dissociates, and the wolf can bleed through. This strain and preparation for the change will also make our bodies physically weaker. From what I've read it's a bit like having the Flu, so my deepest sympathies if any of you are ever ill."

"Wolfsbane will help with that," Tonks pointed out, "but it's unfair that Werewolves can't actually handle one of the key ingredients. Aconite. It's burns on contact and causes severe allergic reactions similar to extreme cases of hay-fever. So, werewolves cannot make the potion themselves, unless they have protective gear, and you need a certain amount of dexterity to make Wolfsbane."

"I also won't take tea if you serve it with silver implements."

"That means you're only weaknesses would be a particular plant, loud noises, and silver tea sets," Hermione counted off on one hand.

There was a contemplative silence in the class.

"So, what you're saying is, Professor Lupin, is a badass," Zabini concluded.

Remus put his face in his hands as he lost complete control of his class and Tonks cackled in delight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know in Canon Werewolves in human form are no different from other humans, but I love the concept of werewolves having heightened senses and more strength even when they're not wolfing out.
> 
> The image of the DADA room I have is the same as the illustration from Pottermore (I'm getting all my visuals from there not the films... except Mad-Eye, film Mad-Eye was awesome.)
> 
> Also, the Slytherins generally are not assholes anymore because they disagreed with the way their parents handled things, and are determined to prove they can do better than the previous generation. Go Slytherins!


	6. Moving On and Moving Out

"Why did we decide to fix this place in the middle of summer?"

"Good luck getting me outside in the winter, Remus."

"Touche."

\- - - oOoOoOo - - - 

It all started when they both simultaneously, but individually, realised they would need to move out of Andromeda's house.

"I don't think we should encroach upon your mother anymore," Remus put forth one evening.

"I can't stand living with my mum anymore," Tonks burst out, "I miss being independent."

There was a pause as each realised what the other had said; "Oh, ok," they agreed.

The next problem was wondering where they were going to live. Tonks hivered and hovered about the idea of moving back into an apartment in London, like she had before when she worked for the Order.

"Honestly, London is too expensive right now. Plus an apartment with the amount of space we would need for the three of us, is way out of the question," Tonks surmised

"Dora, if you want to live independently, doesn't living with myself and Teddy negate that?"

"Remus, hun, I would be living with you, under _our_ roof, instead of living with mum, and under _her_ roof."

"Ah."

They decided it would be best to live away from cities for a while, somewhere in the country. Plenty of open spaces for Teddy to run rampant in, and not attract curious muggles with his multicolour antics. Plus, if they managed to find the perfect spot, Remus would have an entire forest to roam during the full moon, albeit on Wolfsbane. 

Slughorn had been gracious enough to offer Remus a pre-prepared Wolfsbane potion for his first month back at teaching, and had been brewing it since. He had a slight suspicion it was more to do with potential bragging rights for being the provider of said potion to the first werewolf ever to receive an Order of Merlin. Remus wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth, however, and graciously thanked him, offering to procure any ingredients he may need from his Dark Arts research trips.

It wasn't until Remus was teaching a class of third years, and talking about how often he had had to clear out his old cottage of Shrouds, that he realised he already had a place. Admittedly, it was crumbling down, and certainly not habitable currently, but with a bit of work, and a large-scale outdoor magic permit, it could be their new home.

\- - - oOoOoOo - - - 

**Friday, 18th December, 1998**

Tonks side-along apparated with Remus to an uninhabited meadow, coated in frost, just outside of Upper Flagley, Yorkshire.

"Remus, please tell me you didn't live in here when it has half of the roof missing," Tonks sighed. Her husband deigned not to comment, clearing his throat instead as he walked forward to inspect the place.

It was in an even worse state than he had left it.

Windows had been broken in his time living here, but now there were entire panes missing, the wooden frames had splintered, and the upstairs windows were rusting all over the thatch work. Or, what was left of it. Cracks in the brick-work, and all the plants had died; the ivy had curled back and been burnt by the sun. He turned his head to look into the forest beside them that stretched for miles. It was still densely packed and incredibly shady, no wonder muggles never ventured here. This expanse of wilderness had as many dark rumours as the Forbidden Forest of Hogwarts. One of them happened to be him; the wolf was rather loud.

"This is gonna take a lot of work, and a lot of time. Remus," Tonks walked over to him and held him by his arms, "I go back to work in two weeks, and you go back to Hogwarts. We won't have enough time between us until-"

"The summer," Remus answered, a small smile blooming over his face. He placed a hand to her waist to pull her in, and brushed her violet fringe behind her ear. "It can be our family project, we'll rebuild on the old to create a better new. Kind of like us really."

Tonks snorted and buried her face into Remus winter cloak as a sharp cold gust blew across them.

"It's cold here," she mumbled, and she could feel the vibrations of his rib cage when he chuckled.

"That's because it's winter, June Bug."

"Hmm," Tonks tugged on his cloak to gain his attention, he looked down to see her grinning at him, "I like it here."

Remus proceeded to smother her with a kiss. She warmed up pretty quickly after that when he didn't just stop there.

\- - - oOoOoOo - - - 

**Thursday, 8th July, 1999**

"You know this would go a lot faster with you helping me."

"Yeah, but I could also just continue to lie here," Tonks said smugly, "it's a wonderful hot sunny day. Come lie here with me."

Remus looked over to where his wife was lounging on the roof in the sun, patting the space next to her. He dropped his tools and carefully navigated his way over to avoid any loose thatch work. 

Now that it was the holidays, Remus had moved his essentials back into Andromeda's house and Tonks had a weeks leave from the Auror office.

"You should have seen the Auror applications, Remus, it is going to be a hectic year." 

With their joint time off they could both work on the house, which is how they found themselves re-thatching the roof. Believe it or not, magic didn't actually help a great deal. 

Tonks had her eyes closed or she would have seen Remus placing a foot either side of her and kneeling down. However, she did hear him place a hand on either side of head, the pressure causing the straw thatch to crinkle. She opened her eyes to see him staring down at her, eyebrow raised and a slight smile adorning his face. He slowly leaned to her face, and Tonks, incredibly smug now, closed her eyes again and raised her head to meet him.

"I know what you're doing," Tonks heard whispered in her ear, "and I'm not falling for it."

Tonks slumped back against the roof, terribly put out, while Remus leaned back up to sit on his calves. He stared down at the love of his life and started to laugh. Said love of his life took offense and immediately tackled his abdomen with her fingers. The tickling assault caused him to laugh even harder, rolling over onto his back just as Tonks pounced. Ten minutes later neither were moving as they both dozed in the sunshine, up until the sun went down and they had to fetch Teddy. They didn't mention how little work they got done to Andromeda that evening.

\- - - oOoOoOo - - - 

**Wednesday, 21st July, 1999**

Finally came the day when the house was completed. The windows had been fixed and new panes put in, the roof had been re-thatched and neatened. The chimney was once again functional and the fireplace registered with the Ministry. Tonks had elbowed Remus in the ribs when she found out he had linked it to the Floo Network illegally. 

"That's a criminal offence and incredibly shady you know, I should arrest you," Tonks said, in her best professional tone.

"Go on then, hand cuff me," Remus teased. He was lucky she didn't have any charmed restraints on her at the time.

Remus had spent a good half a day encouraging plant life back up the sides of the house and around the front door. Tonks decided to go down the Muggle route and bought a massive pot. She then proceeded to plant the most vibrantly pink Lupin Remus had ever seen.

"Get it? Pink Lupin?" Tonks had looked so pleased with herself that he couldn't bare to tease her about the pun.

Refurbishing inside had become a bit tricky when they discovered multiple Bogarts, a family of bats, several sentient curses, and the resident Shroud Remus said came back every year or so. Once the infestations were taken care of the dust was banished, quite literally, and the surfaces were cleansed. Either it was fixed or tossed out. Some of the items they unearthed Remus hadn't seen in years. Tonks collected everything he seemed hesitant about throwing away and put it in his 'keepsake box'. The floors were swept, the kitchen stone was mopped, and windows opened to let in the summer breeze.

At last, they stood in what would be the living room and looked around at the clear and shining surfaces. Everything was how it was when Remus last saw it, if maybe a little cleaner and no longer breaking. The only things missing were the books and various trinkets he used to keep on the shelves lining the walls. The cupboards and the draws were now empty too, waiting to be filled with their new belongings. He was concerned some of the crockery had actually gained sentience in his absence and had therefore thrown all of it away. Now, it was ready for them to move in, and fill it with all of the things they had together, and raise their family.

He looked down at Tonks to smile gently at her, but found her grinning up at him already. A very wide grin.

She gripped his upper arm tightly, "we've gotta break this place in and have sex all over this house."

"How is that your instant reaction?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was inspired by the ridiculous heat I was working in this week. Luckily I work at a Garden Centre, so I could hose myself down as well as the plants.
> 
> A Shroud is a little beasty I made up - an amorphous shadow that dwells in corners and brings extreme paranoia and nightmares to all inhabitants of the house. Nasty little buggers.
> 
> Art for this chapter can be found [here](http://british-sarcasm-artwork.tumblr.com/post/122976701095/before-and-after-shots-of-the-cottage-lupin-den).


	7. The Wolf Inside

Tonks job was full time, all year. Kingsley had introduced mandatory leave for Aurors, as well as their set optional amount of leave. His reasoning being that they would otherwise 'never unglue themselves from their desks. Learn some work delegation, people!'. The mandatory leave periods never overlapped with anyone else's and were set at the beginning of each year. Tonks leave was positioned a week before the start of Hogwarts new year.

She had enjoyed coming back to their home and seeing Teddy conked out asleep in his playpen, and her husband either making dinner or reading. Having him at home all the time was a treat she looked forward to all day. It also spared the kitchen the disastrous consequences of her cooking.

Sometimes, Remus really did wonder how on Earth, Dora and himself managed to co-exist so well. Becoming friends had happened so quickly and so effortlessly that he barely noticed the transition from 'stranger' to 'trusted friend'. Their relationship developing from platonic to romantic had seemed natural at the time, if fraught with difficulties. Now, they were married and she did not care about his condition; she was more than he had ever hoped for. Yet, he'd always imagined, if he ever did find someone, they would be similar to himself; quiet, reserved, but with a sense of humour. Tonks was quirky, loud, and energetic, but she did have an extremely broad sense of humour. Which was mostly puns that made her giggle like a five year old, and often bordered onto inappropriate. Not that she cared. She was also completely unashamed of what he was, often combining this with her humour. 

There were three memorable instances, of said combination, that all occurred within just over a month. The first occurred a few weeks before Remus was due back at Hogwarts.

\- - - oOoOoOo - - -

**Monday 2nd, August 1999**

Coming downstairs with a snoozing Teddy resting against his shoulder Remus noticed a box on the kitchen table along with a note.

He made a detour to the living room, popping Teddy onto the sofa where he rolled over into his preferred nest of cushions.

Walking back into the kitchen to make them both porridge Remus picked up the box and read the note:

_Beloved husband,_

_Sorry! I had to run out early, remembered late last night I had another case assigned to me.  
I should be back for dinner but if I'm not don't wait up for me I'll reheat one of the meals in the fridge.  
I decided to get this for you the other day when I saw it during my lunch break - you should totally take it to classes!   
I promise I haven't forgotten our Anniversary tomorrow though._

_Love, your awesome wife_

"Looks like its just me and you today puppy," Remus called into the living room, getting no reply in return, as he put the kettle on. He'd already gotten Tonks something for tomorrow, but he was still a little worried she may not like it. Even though it had the seal of approval from Harry, Hermione, and Kingsley.

He turned his attention back to the box that was wrapped in bright red paper. He smiled to himself at Tonks' eternal love for anything brightly coloured. It also made no sense that she was attracted to him, who had never worn anything brightly coloured in his life - occasionally delving into light blue apparently didn't count.

Sitting at the kitchen table he unwrapped the box, keeping an ear out in case Teddy decided to wake from his impromptu nap. The box was about the length of his hand and just about as wide, he also had no idea as to what could be inside. Bought it during lunch break? So, from a London street shop he assumed. 

"This could be anything," he muttered, popping open the cardboard tag at the one end to take out something wrapped in bubble-wrap. Whatever he had guessed, it was not this.

Taking away the bubble wrap, with a mental note to let Teddy play with it later, he looked at the bright red mug, now understanding the colour choice in wrapping paper. Smiling at Tonks thoughtfulness to get him a new mug, he placed it on the table in front of him before getting up to retrieve the now boiling kettle and a tea bag. He turned to make his morning cup of tea with the new mug and nearly dropped the kettle onto the unforgiving floor.

On the other side of the mug in white text were the words: Absolute ANIMAL In Bed.

Remus despaired silently, sinking back into his chair and draping himself over the kitchen table. He would most certainly _not_ be taking that to class with him.

\- - - oOoOoOo - - -

**Tuesday 31st, August 1999**

The second memorable incident happened while Remus was packing his trunk for Hogwarts, hindered slightly by Teddy sitting on his shoulders and clinging to his head.

"I can't believe you, Mr. Organised Mind. _Still_ packing?" Tonks said in mock astonishment, "we leave tomorrow you know."

"Yes, yes," Remus answered distracted, turning quickly to lean over their bed and grab the next item to be packed. Teddy squealed in delight as he was swung round. "But I, unlike you, only need a couple of hours to pack everything I need. So, I can leave it to the last day."

Tonks considered him for a while, coming to sit by his open trunk. She watched her husband dart about the room like an overgrown hummingbird, and their year and half old offspring held on joyfully. It was no secret her mind was as collected as a butterfly, and was prone to forgot the odd item, but Remus seemed to end up packing them anyway. She didn't know how he did it.

"You know, it wouldn't hurt to take some clothes that wouldn't act as excellent camouflage in old sepia photograph you know," she said, pointing at the coffee coloured jacket Remus was folding carefully.

"I don't do colours," he said, flapping a free hand at her. She decided not to voice her lewd comment that he was happy to do _her_. Tonks grinned instead.

"I still say you need a shirt that says 'Professor on the streets, Monster in the sheets'," she said cheerily, getting up from the bed.

Remus looked at his wife in panic, giving her his full attention, as she made for the door, "Dora, _please no_."

\- - - oOoOoOo - - -

**Thursday 9th, September 1999**

The third and final time was when Tonks tried to surprise Remus on the first new moon of the new term. She'd told him to get undressed and settle himself in bed. That automatically gave her game away in Remus' opinion, but he wasn't going to complain.

He'd just drifted off into a rather nice day dream about what she had planned, when she stuck her head around the door from the bathroom.

"Ready?" She looked excited, so he nodded, smiling gently at her.

That is until she fully came out of the bathroom and he saw what she was wearing. Nothing but a pair of frilly knickers. Frilly knickers with a wolf face on them. He burst out laughing.

"Hey!" Tonks fumed, stomping over to him and straddling his waist over the blankets trying to get him to stop, "I thought they were cute. There's a racoon and a fox one too, but I figured these were more relevant- stop laughing!"

"I'm sorry!" Remus was struggling to regain his breath as he fell into another fit of giggles, "but, that wasn't- I didn't think- WOLF KNICKERS!"

He slipped down the bed, with Dora now sitting on his knees rather put out, as he continued to laugh into near screeching. He eventually managed to calm himself down into small intermittent chuckles, and caught sight of Dora's now slightly dejected face.

"Oh, Dora," reaching a hand up he held the side of her face and gazed up at her smiling delightedly as she looked back at him, hopeful again. "If you wanted a wolf," he flipped their positions and now he had her pinned underneath him, "I'll give you one."

This seemed to please her greatly.

\- - - oOoOoOo - - -

Once upon a time, Remus couldn’t stand anything that associated him with wolves. He would purposefully create a non-corporeal patronus, just to avoid having to look at the pearly white wolf he produced. One time, he sent a patronus and the sight of it caused such revulsion that the wispy figured immediately died.

Now, he was watching his wife playfully snarl and mock tackle with their year old son on his office floor. Teddy, in return, would brandish the bedraggled wolf toy in his tiny fist at her. He sneezed and his face morphed into a small puppy nose and floppy blue ears. He beamed and giggled, revealing tiny little fangs. Tonks mirrored him and perky, violet furred ears appeared on her head.

He remembered all the instances that she had used wolf puns, all the times she tried to bring out his more wolfish tendencies that he firmly kept under lock and key. She wasn’t ashamed to talk about it, didn’t try to hide it. If anyone at work mentioned it to her, or even mocked her for her choice in husband, she would laugh and tell them they didn’t know what they were missing.

It struck him hard. She was _proud_ to be his wife.

He was so stunned that he dropped the book in his hands onto the floor, causing Teddy to startle. Tonks gathered the now white haired - or furred - Teddy into her arms as she shuffled over to him. Remus was still staring at the opposite wall.

“Remus, what’s wrong?”

He turned to stare at her, eyes flickering from her ears to Teddy’s face, who was wiggling his nose experimentally.

“You … you really don’t care do you?” He whispered.

“Oh, Remus, I’m sorry,” Tonks sounded a little panicked, and very guilty, quickly morphing her ears away, and trying to flatten Teddy’s. “I know you don’t like to remind yourself, and I keep doing this, or bringing it up... gosh I'm sorry, I didn’t mean-”

“You’re proud of me.”

There was silence, in which Tonks hands fell away from Teddy’s head, allowing his ears to bounce back up, now back to their bright blue colour.

“Are you _kidding me_!?” her voice slightly strained, she placed their son on the floor and grabbed her completely _dense_ husband by the shoulders. “ _Really_? It’s taken you this long to figure that out? Sirius said you were the intelligent one!”

Tonks’ tirade carried on but Remus wasn’t really paying attention anymore, suddenly filled with uncontainable _joy_. To find someone who loved him unconditionally, eternally, was more than he had ever dare dream of, but to be proud of him. So proud that she didn’t want to sweep his condition under the rug, wanted people to know how much she loved him, including the wolf part of him. 

She was half way through an explanation of how exactly she could get through his thick head, when he kissed her, _thoroughly._

Merlin, he was happy.

\- - - oOoOoOo - - -

“I’ve been thinking,” Remus started one night, rolling over to face his wife in bed.

“Careful,” Tonks quipped, without opening her eyes so she couldn’t see Remus less than impressed expression.

“Shush. I’ve been thinking, and I think it’s time we try introducing you to the wolf on Wolfsbane.”

Tonks propped herself immediately to look at her husband, who was gazing right back at her. He looked apprehensive, and she knew how much this meant to him. Of course, she had wanted to be there for him during transformations for a long time, but he had dissuaded her. She had eventually dropped it and left it to him to offer in his own time, content with the knowledge that he at least let her take care of him after the moon had gone down. So, she knew what was at stake here.

“I think,” she said, brushing his fringe away from his face, “that’s a wonderful idea.”

\- - - oOoOoOo - - -

**Saturday 25th, September 1999**

"Ok, just to reiterate; I go down into the basement first, you wait for _at least_ twenty minutes. That'll give me enough time for the transformation to be over and to settle. Then, if everything is ok I'll scratch on the stairs to signal you coming down. If I haven't scratched the stairs by thirty minutes past, you charm the trap door shut and place a shield charm around it. I don't think the wolf can work out a drop down ladder but lets not test it. Dora? Dora are you listening?"

"Yes, Remus," Tonks sighed, "just as I listened to you the last five times you told me of the plan. I get it, wolf goes rawr, wolf scary, barricade the fort." She reached forward to hold his face in her hands, "Auror remember? I know what to do, I'm not taking this lightly. Trust me."

Remus took a big breath, and let it out again slowly, willing himself to calm down. But with just under an hour to go before the final change, anxiety was at an all time high. "I do trust you, it's going to be fine. It _will_ be fine."

"That's the spirit."

Too soon, Tonks was watching Remus descend into the basement and out of sight. They had returned to their cottage for this first experiment, as it had the ideal place for his transformations. The trap door was in a strange small room, bigger than the average broom cupboard, but only had room for the trap door itself, perhaps four squished people, and five shelves full of books and pre-made potions. Underneath was a roomy basement that had yet more shelves - 'is the wolf literate, Remus?' - a double bed, and eternal balls of flame hugging the walls. It was an improvement, headed by Tonks, to the previously dreary room Remus had used. The trap door closed after him, and she waited.

Twenty five minutes later and Tonks was starting to allow a few bursts of panic affect her. He hadn't scratched yet, but surely the Wolfsbane was fine? 

While at Hogwarts, Remus acquired his doses from Slughorn, but they figured it would become a problem once everyone went home. Tonks had been trying to perfect the potion herself in her spare time, however limited it was. Unfortunately, she had yet to have her work checked by a licensed Potioneer. Their saviour appeared one day in June in the form of Hermione Granger, tireless defender of those without rights. She had already been given the seal of approval for her brewing capabilities on the Wolfsbane Potion, and handed them a box containing seven vials for each day of that week. She then proceeded to make them speechless as she explained her collaboration with the Weasley Twins. 

According to her, the Twins were still trying to think of ways in which to honour the creators of one of the greatest mischief tools that they had ever owned. Especially Remus. So, when Ron came to visit them he naturally couldn't stop boasting how his wife was now a licensed brewer of Wolfsbane, a notoriously difficult potion to get right. The Twins had an immediate brainwave. What was once a spin-off joke section, their range of Defence Against the Dark Arts products had expanded into a practical side-business. One that now included the Anonymous Wolfsbane Delivery service. Working in tandem with Hermione, with connections in the Ministry to procure the necessary ingredients, werewolves could now apply for free Wolfsbane. Since making the potion in bulk was much easier and more cost effective than brewing for individual use, Hermione could make a batch once a month at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Then they just needed to bottle up each dose, package, and have someone deliver it. All a werewolf needed to do was leave a delivery address point with either of the Weasleys, and they would find the box waiting for them the week before the full moon. Hermione's argument for this service to remain unimpeded was that with Wolfsbane being far more accessible to the intended target, there would be fewer attacks, and therefore less need for it in the future.

Those boys had never failed Remus yet, and Tonks couldn't believe they had now. Just as she was about to set up the required charms around the trap door, feeling extremely disappointed and worried, she heard the faint scratching sounds of claws trying to dig, and scraping across stone.

Sighing in relief, but still not letting her guard down, she opened the trap door and descended down, careful to close it behind her. If Remus was still feral, better to have her bar his path, than chance him escaping out through an open door. Teddy may not be in the house, no doubt being spoilt rotten by Harry, but it wasn't that far to the nearest town.

Tonks needn't have worried however, coming to the bottom of the stairs. She immediately spotted Remus, in his all four pawed, fuzzy glory, lying on his back watching a moth flutter about the nearest flame ball.

Her feet tapping on the stone floor alerted Remus to her presence as he tilted his head back to look at her. He saw her trying to hold in her smug grin, tilting his head and wagging his tail slowly. He looked ridiculous.

"Yeah, you're really terrifying, Remus."

The huff and unimpressed expression on his muzzled face brought her to her knees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to a friend (Lycra) for the text on novelty mugs and the underwear image prompt for this chapter.  
> This chapters fan-art can be find [here](http://british-sarcasm-artwork.tumblr.com/post/124400796520/chapter-7-the-wolf-inside-smiling-at-tonks). If you would like to send me prompts in text or image form feel free to do so!


	8. Hunter and HUnted

Dead things kept getting found at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

Normally, Hagrid would have come across it first during his grounds checks, but unfortunately, it was a second year who had discovered the first carcass.

They'd screamed so loudly that even Madame Hooch had heard, travelling back from the Quidditch Pitch to the Castle. The second year had then been engulfed gently by Hagrid's massive arms as he shielded the youngster from the grizzly sight. It looked like a deer had been twisted about the abdomen, then had it's ribcage pulled open. Not to mention the various gashes mutilating the body.

McGonagall had informed the parents and had suggested the boy be taken home to recover from the shock. She then issued a temporary ban on any student from walking within 50 feet of the forest. This made Care of Magical Creature classes a little difficult, but Hagrid was able to relocate to a patch of grounds near the Greenhouses.

At first, it was just a couple more findings of mutilated game appearing at the fringes of the tree line. Then they got bigger, more numerous, and more frequent. Hagrid reported all his findings to McGonagall upon their discovery and it wasn't long until Professors were patrolling the edge of the forest in pairs. What was most disturbing was that they were discovering bodies that were no longer just ordinary game. Remains of Acromantula, Kelpies, a Thestral, and even a Unicorn were found in the few weeks after the initial finding.

Eventually, it came down to a serious discussion in the staff room about how they were to tackle this incident. All of the teachers were called in to sit down and offer suggestions on who, or what, was behind the attacks, and how to prevent it. Obviously, the cause was in the forest, and until they flushed it out, the being responsible for these killings would continue. Hagrid was able to rule out most of the suspects in the forest, the most likely being Acromantula. He argued that these bodies hadn't been eaten, just maimed and disfigured, and after the remains of an Acromantula itself was found their list of suspects dried up.

Until, Remus hesitantly gave his suggestion.

"There is one creature we've overlooked."

Flitwick turned to give him his attention, but Remus was staring at Hagrid.

"No, Professor! There can' be one in there, I'd 'ave seen mor'an this," the giant man exclaimed, but he looked more than a little worried.

"Not if it's smart," Remus argued, "it would know not to make too much noise, just enough to spook us. By only leaving evidence _outside_ of the Forest."

"Sorry," Slughorn interrupted, "but for those of us not following?"

Remus took a deep breath, "I believe, we have a werewolf in our forest."

The reactions from the staff were somewhat predictable. McGonagall exhaled loudly, while Slughorn, Flitwick, and Sinistra looked shocked. Sprout ran a hand down her face, and Augrect let himself flump back against his chair mumbling, "oh, Merlin." Sage's eyes widened alarmingly, before blinking rapidly and looking at the floor.

"Are you certain?" Clement asked, "not to be insensitive, but can you actually tell if a werewolf is there?"

It was a logical assumption and he tried to arrange his face into an understanding expression, to let them know not to feel bad.

"Not strictly speaking no," Remus admitted, "but I noticed that the forest hadn't been feeling as oppressive as I was used to at the start of the year. Now, however, it seems terribly foreboding. Though whether that's due to our... findings," Augrect shuddered, "or any genuine sixth sense I might have is uncertain."

"Regardless, a rogue werewolf is our most likely culprit as of this moment, and a serious threat. I shall inform the minister," McGonagall announced, standing quickly and leaving the staff room.

There was a moment of quiet as they each contemplated how to address the students, when Trelawney, who had been silent the entire meeting, raised her voice.

"Forgive me, but I was under the impression that there already were werewolves in the forest."

A slight pause as everyone in turn looked over to Remus, who was blinking at the floor stupidly. He'd forgotten about that little rumour.

"Actually," he looked up to make eye contact with them all, "there never has been any werewolves in the forest. Besides me every once in a while."

At his sheepish expression, Hooch snorted, but Sprout, holding back a smile, carried on where Trelawney had stopped.

"Then why are we all told there were? Don't tell me, another deterrent to keep the youngsters out?"

"Partly that, partly because I _was_ in there as a teen. But the main reason is a little more ... complicated," Remus finished, fidgeting a little under so much scrutiny.

"But I've heard howling in there!" Slughorn interjected.

"Not always on a full moon, I bet," Hagrid answered genially, "nah, there never been any in there."

"Then why-"

"Because there are _wolves_ in there," Remus placated, "just not the were variety." 

He took a deep breath and explained what Dumbledore had told him, while he'd been a student. "There is no such thing as were-cubs - sorry to disappoint Hagrid - but werewolves can reproduce in their wolf form. But they give birth to a litter of wolf cubs. They're actually supposed to be incredibly pretty wolves, and very intelligent, but still just regular wolves. No where near as dangerous as some of the things in that forest, I assure you." He paused before adding, "and no, they're not mine."

Vector let out a bark of laughter before slapping a hand over her mouth, and Flitwick looked fit to burst with contained mirth. Augrect still looking slightly bemused, leaned forward to rejoin the conversation, but Slughorn beat him to it.

"If there have never been werewolves in that forest, then how on earth did a litter of were-cubs," Slughorn ignored Remus rolling his eyes, "end up in the forest?!"

"Because Albus Dumbledore released them in there."

"He did what?" McGonagall asked sharply from the doorway, causing everyone to jump. 

Remus, however, just looked rather guilty.

\- - - oOoOoOo - - -

It was arranged a week later that Hagrid, for his knowledge and experience of the Forest, and Remus, as Defence professor and resident 'tame' werewolf, would enter the Forbidden Forest.

Go in, find out where the werewolf was holding up, collect information on it's dens location, and then head back. A team of Aurors would be sent in to remove and re-home the werewolf. Remus was a little worried that everyone seemed to be assuming that this werewolf wasn't right in the head. Instead of assuming that it was playing them all, going for shock and awe tactics, rather than the work of a mentally unbalanced being.

Never the less, both men, neither fully human, walked into the Forest that chewed up and spat out humans for brunch. This wasn't exactly how Remus envisioned spending more time with the other man.

"Are there really were-pups in here?" Hagrid asked innocently, fifteen minutes later, now deep into the forest. He only sounded curious but Remus knew better.

"Don't even think about it, Hagrid," he admonished, "and they're not were-pups."

Hagrid looked a little put out but he resumed his task of keeping a look out and checking behind them, as Remus moved forward.

So far, the forest hadn't given them any problems. They'd passed a gathering of Centaurs, but had kept their noise to a minimum. The Centaurs merely nodded in acknowledgment, as they passed. None of the plants seemed particularly active either; giving very half-hearted and apathetic swipes as the two men brushed passed them. All in all, it could have been constructed as a almost pleasant stroll.

Remus suddenly stopped. He'd heard movement from a part of the forest that was off their path. The kind of sound you'd expect from a slow, methodical hunter. Something was tailing them.

"Lupin?"

Remus didn't answer, straining his hearing for the sound he had heard. A rustle of leaves, a small twig snapping, anything.

"Hagrid, I think we should go-," then he caught it as the wind changed direction and blew across them. A scent he had hoped he'd never have to encounter again. "Hagrid, get back to the castle, now!"

The giant man immediately turned back and started to run back down the path. Remus knew the plan was to just gather evidence of it's resting place, but he couldn't move to follow. He stayed and tried to pinpoint the location of the man who had made his life hell. There was no way Greyback was going to be re-located anywhere, especially when Remus hunch had been correct. This werewolf may be deranged but he was still in control of his mental faculties. He would remember that smell forever, from the day when he was barely five years old, to the years he had to spend in his pack on Dumbledore's orders. To the last time he saw him across a battlefield.

"Come on, Greyback, I'm all alone. What are you waiting for?"

He spun round, trying to triangulate from another part of the forest, but to no avail. He waited for so long he was sure Hagrid must be inside the castle by now. He knew if he tried to run for it he wouldn't get far. Greyback was faster than him, but at least he had magic on his side. He gripped his wand tighter in reassurance and took a slow tentative step towards the side of the forest he knew the scent came from. But this wasn't the side the noise had come from. Furthermore, when did Greyback make such a simple mistake as lying in the winds path?

His blood chilled suddenly as he realised that Greyback would never make such a crucial mistake. He had planned this, all of it. A trail of disfigured breadcrumbs, to lead him into the forest; the werewolf Defence Professor, the obvious choice. A sound to make him stop, then to make sure he caught wind of him. Remus took quick steps forward towards the scent only to find an abandoned, tattered shirt, hung on a low branch, swaying in the slightly breeze.

He spun around quickly, eyes darting everywhere for any sign of movement. He had played right into the others claws. Send Hagrid away in warning as fear and an old grudge resurfaced, become disorientated by the different stimuli, and now he was panicked.

The forest was deathly quiet.

Remus ran, like a flushed out rabbit from the undergrowth.  
He had no idea where he was going, but he could hear something running behind him, not bothering with stealth anymore. He wasn't fast enough to outrun Greyback, nowhere even close.

Deciding to turn and fire a stunner in some vain hope it might slow Greyback down, he didn't expect to meet half a tree trunk that was flung at him from the shadows.  
He had no chance.

\- - - oOoOoOo - - -

"I'm sorry, having a little trouble here. Did you just tell me that my complete and utter _dolt_ of a husband willingly walked into the Forbidden Forest to turf out a rogue werewolf, that's been _leaving dead mutilated bodies in the grounds for a month_?!"

Needless to say, news of Remus disappearance had spread through the Castle fast, but not before Tonks had been informed at the Ministry.

"And now he's _missing_? I am going to kill him!" she raged, stomping across wooden floor of their Hogwarts accommodation. "I'm going to have a nice new wolf pelt rug once this is over. I can't _believe_ he went in without saying anything. Not even a 'Hey hunny, just gonna pop into the freaky forest to evict a very possibly unhinged werewolf, nothing to worry about'."

The rest of her monologue was lost as she threw herself onto their sofa, grabbed a cushion and screamed into it.

McGonagall sighed quietly, walking over to her and sitting down next to her. She watched as Tonks furious screaming turned into hysterical sobbing, muffled by the cushion held tight in her hands. McGonagall could only place an arm around her shoulders and pull her close in comfort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long gap between new chapters, been busy at work and then kind of apathetic - back on track now with this part 1 of 2-chapter mini plot story.
> 
> Reviews are wonderful to read and make my day!


	9. Tamer and Tamed

After the breakdown, Tonks went straight into the ministry and demanded to know of her department if they were going to do anything about Remus' disappearance. She was a little surprised to see that they were already clustered around a map of Hogwarts grounds, including the expanse of the forest.

Kingsley came forward as Tonks' hair went yellow in embarrassment, "we're already on it Tonks, go back to Hogwarts and work with the team I've already sent out there. You'll go spare stuck here."

She merely nodded, turned on her heel and walked straight back out, feeling very ashamed that she had not trusted her co-workers very much. She'd forgotten they had gotten to know Remus just as much as Kingsley had. When Remus would visit her during the summer, with an excitable Teddy clambering over his shoulders to get to her. How he would always be sure to bring her lunch from home, and an assortment of chocolate confectionaries for the whole office. They had soon warmed up to him after that. Aurors loved free food.

One memorable occasion came to her as she pressed the button for the lift to take her back up to the atrium. Remus had come in, with her lunch and Teddy, at the same time as Arthur had popped in to see Tonks. Or rather, to see if Remus had come by yet and left any cake. They had just been dishing out the home-baked goods when Molly arrived as a surprise for Arthur... also with food. The department had eaten well that day, even luring Kingsley out of his office to join the impromptu picnic that had developed. The day was later dubbed the 'Bring your House Spouse to Work Day' by one of her colleagues, which had gotten a laugh from Remus and an extra pork pie from Molly.

Tonks smiled sadly as she remembered the office lamenting the fact that Hogwarts term had started again, thus marking the end of Remus visits. 

She wanted her husband back. Now.

\- - - oOoOoOo - - -

Remus wasn't quite too sure where he was. It was a similar feeling to waking up after he was dead. Or a hangover. 

Tonks had successfully managed to get him absolutely sloshed one day, by throwing cation to the winds and mixing the most toxic drinks in existence. His wolf metabolism was simply no match for it. Apparently, the drunk version of him just got giggly, cuddly, and magically gave himself a wolf tail that wagged a mile-a-minute constantly. Remus couldn't say he remembered much of it, but there was a nice picture of him trying to curl up on Tonks lap, half asleep, tail lazily thumping against the sofa arm rest.

He took a deep breath and moved his head to the side. His view of the plain ceiling changed to that of rocky walls, moss, and a few determined weeds growing in the dark. A crevice in the side of a cliff perhaps? Or a cave in the Forest? He turned back to view the ceiling, now noticing the few pin pricks of light above him. Bioluminescent moss most likely. Fairly common in the Forest, so chances were he wasn't taken too far. Although, the Forest stretched on for miles, so he could be at the very farthest edge away from Hogwarts as far as he knew. If he even was still in the Forest.

At least he couldn't see Greyback anywhere. He wasn't awake enough to deal with him just yet. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the scents around him; Damp, earth, ionised air, and cold. When he had trekked into the Forest he could smell the first snowfall on the way, now it seemed as if the snow had already started to fall. He wondered how long he had been here, Greyback had obviously intended to take him alive. He would have been ripped to shreds instead of being incapacitated. Maybe he had been hit too hard.

He reached a hand up groggily to feel his head, feeling the tender scabbing over a large gash on his forehead. No wonder his head was killing him; concussion and knocked out for several days at the least. He briefly worried about severe brain trauma before he remembered, he was a werewolf, and that he should be more concerned with his current predicament.

Tonks must be getting frantic. 

With that in mind, he gradually pulled himself into an upright sitting position. He looked around the floor, noticing the lack of his wand, and the shackles imbedded into the floor. The extra weight he was feeling on his limbs wasn't due to lethargy, but the chains connecting him to the ground. So much for escape, even though he felt an attempt was futile anyway considering he felt very close to road-kill at the moment.

"You brought this upon yourself, Lupin," said a gruff voice behind him, "did you really think I'd let your interfering slide? Interesting how none of you thought to search for me. Did you think me dead little dog?"

Remus turned his upper body slowly to face the newcomer. Greyback was silhouetted against a source of light further down the cave. The source of light, Remus now recognised, was the dusk sunlight. He simply blinked at the man, before turning back to look around the ground before him. Noticing the pressure from an inner pocket of his robes, as he moved, that signalled where his wand had been stashed. How odd. 

"You came into my pack, started discontent and unrest in my followers. Spread your handlers 'truth' about living free," Greyback scoffed, "you ruined our only chance at true freedom!"

Remus felt his shoulder grabbed roughly as he was shoved around and back into the hard wall. A rock dug uncomfortably into his spine, but with Greybacks snarling teeth so close to his face, the more slight werewolf had other concerns.

"Did you really think Voldemort would give you freedom?" Remus scoffed. "You were nothing more that his foot soldiers. Pure muscle and brutality on the battle field. He fully intended for all of you to die for him, and if any of you survived you would have been culled." He shook his head, "you may be mad, but you're not that stupid to believe you would be 'free'."

Greyback simply grinned.

"Not if we planned to wipe them out first. The war would have done most of the work for us." Greyback pressed off Remus shoulder, walking away but continuing to talk over his shoulder. "We would have been our own rulers, no more ministry, no more register, no more laws. Just roaming wolves, as it should be. No more wizards to belittle our nature and condemn us to death. Your father learnt his lesson, I'm sure others would too."

Remus gritted his teeth in anger. His father had done everything in his power to show that he was still loved. His mother and father took care of him, made him feel safe, and comforted him after full moon nights. Read to him, tucked him in, and cuddled him just like any other child with loving parents. Then his father had begged his forgiveness when he told him the reason behind the bite. Remus had forgiven him immediately. Lyall Lupin was changed, and he shouldn't have to continue carrying the guilt of his past self.

Greyback intended to change everyone through violence and trauma. Remus just wanted people to like him, to treat him as a human being. Kindness lasted longer and bred loyalty, savagery only brought resentment and fear, in his opinion.

"You would have been slaughtered, Greyback," he whispered. "All those wolves that followed you because they had nowhere else to go, they would have been butchered."

"No! We had superior strength, numbers, and instinct, we would have won! They feared us!"

"Voldemort's magic would have obliterated you all from existence on a pure whim. He despised you."

Greyback roared with rage, turning sharply and making a dash for Remus still pressed up against the cave wall. But just as suddenly he stopped, the fury fell from his face as he considered his prey before him.

"No, I've planned this for too long for you to make me angry now."

Now, Remus was worried. Greyback never held back, he must be proud of what he had in store. The large Werewolf turned back again and bent down to wrench the shackles from the ground with a grunt.

"Come."

He tugged Remus to his feet, pulling him along before he could unbalance and fall. They came to the mouth of the cave and out into the open as the last vestiges of light fell behind the horizon.

"You were out for so long I worried you wouldn't awake before today. The Aurors caught up to us just hours ago. They should be here soon. Followed my trail here so easily." Greyback gave a mocking snort, pulling Remus the final distance into the middle of the clearing. "Clearly, I overestimated your resilience to damage."

"You threw a tree at me. At my head. What did you expect?" Remus snarked back.

He felt a quick jab between his shoulder blades at that, winding him, and forcing a coughing fit.

"It's that smart mouth of yours that got you in trouble before, Lupin," Greyback tugged him suddenly, causing Remus to go stumbling towards him, "or have you forgotten how you acquired these?"

He dragged a yellowing clawed nail down Remus face, along the scar that stretched from his left eyebrow and down across the bridge of his nose. There was another facial scar gifted to him by Greyback; two parallel scratches up the left side of his neck and jaw.

All of the damage he dealt to himself for countless full moons never lingered for long. He healed injuries in a matter of days that would take a human weeks. But the damage done by another werewolf would last a lifetime. An evolutionary tactic to single out those that had become battle worthy, or disciplined. With every full moon, his body was broken and reformed, his human body made anew with the rising sun. Only the cursed scars of another wolf would mark him. He had no intention of gaining any more, so he kept his mouth shut.

They waited until the first stars started to appear before the initial few Aurors made an appearance. Tonks not far behind them, all of them were out of breath, clearly having run here. _Still inside the Hogwarts limits then_ , Remus thought. He smiled slightly at his wife who was searching him with her eyes.

"Greyback, release him," Kingsleys voice thundered, "and no-one need be hurt."

Remus now noted that Greyback stood behind him, with claws frightfully close to his jugular at this point. A huff of breath brushed past his face as his captor laughed humourlessly.

"After all the trouble I took to lead you here? I don't think so." He gripped Remus about the neck tighter, jingling the chains tauntingly at the Aurors.

Tonks hair was a furious red at this point as she made to walk forward, but Kingsley, now at the head of the group placed an arm out. 

"Oh so that's her is it? She the one that got you curbed? I hear you even have a little cub somewhere," Greyback leered at her.

"Don't you dare," Remus growled back at him.

"She got your balls in a box too?" He spat, tugging Remus backwards towards the edge of the clearing, away from the congregation of Aurors. 

"You don't know what day it is do you?"

Remus turned to look at Greybacks manic grin and a clawed hand grabbed him by the chin, turning his face up to the night sky. 

The moon breached the horizon of a cloudless sky. The full moon.

"Let's see which one of us can destroy her first."

"Run! All of you go, now!" Remus screamed to the amassed Aurors, while Greyback fastened the chains in his grasp to the nearest tree trunk. He caught sight of Tonks still staring at him as her fellow Aurors turned and fled, unable to disapparate.

"Please, Dora."

He watched as she turned and ran as fast as she could into the forest, knowing that she would never be able to run fast enough.

\- - - oOoOoOo - - -

Running through the forest, she caught the occasional flicker of red through the trees. Her teams red robes billowing behind them as they all fled for their lives. Logically she knew they should have run further out into the forest, to escape the anti apparition fields. In panic, however, they had dashed back the way they came.

The mixture of screaming and howling followed them as two wolves woke for a night of hunting.

She could see some of the Aurors slowing down, no doubt exhausted. Having made a mad dash to the clearing as the sun went down, in an effort to knock them both out and restrain them before the change. But with Greyback holding Remus in such a precarious situation, they hadn't the chance.

The man in front of her stumbled and fell with his momentum. Cobbins. She skidded to a halt, grabbing him by the back of his robes and shoving him forward to run once again. They made to pick up their pace but the sound of something heavy running for them made them still.

They could hear the growling now too as they turned to see a massive grey wolf barrelling towards them. Eyes wide, pupils tiny pinpricks as it hurtled straight for them, manic with it's urge to take down it's prey.

A shout and a spell came from their side, striking the werewolf's haunches. It didn't seem to affect the beast at all, but it did snarl and come to a stop. Leaves and grit plumed up around it's front paws in the wolves effort to slow down and turn. Baring it's fangs at it's assailant, who turned out to be a witch that worked a couple of cubicles down from Tonk's. Blake. A deep rumbling growl became a snarl as it's maddened eyes zeroed in on her, as she stood petrified to the spot. 

The massive beast took a step towards her but was immediately thrown off it's feet as a second, slightly smaller grey wolf charged into it's side. The large wolf went sprawling into the ground, skidding on it's side for several feet before coming to a stop slightly dazed.

Tonks placed herself in front of the wizard that had fallen and gestured for the other witch to continue fleeing, but she did not. Instead, all three of them watched as the smaller wolf shook himself and the broken chains still attached to his limbs clinked along the floor. He raised his head to growl a warning at the larger wolf, and Tonks instantly recognised him.

"Remus."

Instead of the ear flicker of recognition Tonks was used to receiving the past couple of moons, all she got was a predatory stare. Remus wasn't in there at all.

They were distracted by the wolf, Tonks now knew was Greyback, as it got back to his feet and let out a vicious snarl. Moony's hackles raised, his fur puffed up, and his tail raised. A few more lunging growls were traded before they both collided with each other. Jaws grabbing onto fur, teeth tearing into folds of skin and clawed paws digging out lines in the ground and each others bodies.

The fight raged on, neither giving out to the other. Physically, the Aurors expected Moony to be at a distinct disadvantage, being smaller and with significantly less muscle mass than Greyback. What they hadn't accounted for, was Moony's pure hatred of Greyback. Clearly, not all werewolves got along. But his slight build seemed to be giving him in edge in agility and speed, to counter the larger wolf's pure brute strength.

Tonks had managed to guide Cobbins over to Blake, who was still hiding in the tree line, when they heard a terrible whimpering noise. Moony had been thrown onto the ground, lying exhausted on his side. Tonks raised her wand to fire off a jinx, a curse, anything to distract Greyback. She was too late. Greyback surged down upon Moony, jaws open wide for the kill. The ground was then sprayed with Greyback's blood. 

Feigning exhaustion, Moony had lay in wait at the perfect vantage point to go for the larger wolf's throat. Propelling himself up he met Greyback halfway to sink his teeth into the wolf's venerable neck. The wolf's momentum and extra weight caused his neck to shred past razor sharp teeth. Arterial blood spattered along the ground, and Greyback crumpled. His life and desire to fight draining out faster than his blood, and in no time at all, the gigantic beast lay dead on the forest floor. He was unable to heal such extensive injuries dealt by another wolf.

The Aurors stayed frozen, unsure of what Moony would do now. Howl in victory? Take his trophy away? But he did neither. He simply got to his feet slowly, panting hard, and stared directly at the three of them.

"Oh shit," Cobbins breathed.

"Go," Tonks whispered, bending down slowly to pick up a twig, "Go now!"

"You must be jok-" Blake started, but Moony had already started his run for Tonks. They were all so surprised by his speed they barely had time to stumble back as their fight or flight instinct kicked in.

Tonks slipped and fell backwards, Moony now slowing his approach. Completely forgetting about the wand in her hand, Tonks just scrambled backwards as fast as she could. Dread filled her knowing she couldn't out run him, and no spell she could throw would slow him down without permanently damaging, or outright killing, Remus. 

Moony was a foot away stalking closer and all Tonks could think was how much Remus was going to hate himself when he woke up tomorrow. Her vision was taken up by an opening maw as she did the last thing she could think of.

She morphed.

\- - - oOoOoOo - - -

Moony was frazzled, stressed, and rather confused.

First, there was prey, but he was tied to a tree. The chains were old and eventually gave under the force of his tugging. Next, there was a bulky wolf that screamed self imposed Alpha. He didn't like beefy, arrogant wolves. He also had the distinct impression that this particular wolf had insulted him at some point. So, of course, he had to try and take him down a notch. Massive thing could barely turn fast enough to get at him, and all the while his prey just stood there and watched.

Victory was his, eventually, and he went to claim his prize. His main target was brightly coloured and panicked, but he could also smell sadness. This was not an emotion he expected to smell upon a victim. He also couldn't shake her scent, one that seemed so familiar and yet completely foreign to him. Human.

He was just about to finally take a bite when her scent changed. Wolf. She smelt like wolf.

Jaws snapped shut but she didn't flinch. He turned to look down at her and saw golden wolf eyes looking back at him from a human face. 

He sat down suddenly, completely flummoxed by this development. The wolf-human just continued to look at him, not staring directly into his eyes, but looking at his ears or his muzzle. She clearly didn't wish to challenge him. He leant forward to scent her neck, then moved to nuzzle her head with his snout. Her hair had taken on the course texture of a winter coat, with soft under fur around her temples.

Dimly registering the other two humans somewhere behind him in the trees, he found himself far more enchanted by the half wolf in front of him. A Mate. 

Immediately choosing to adopt a non-threatening position he lay to one side, tail wagging tentatively, as he waited to see how she would receive him. He was immediately befuddled once more when his potential mate leaned over and gave his tummy a rub.

This night, was not working out how he thought it would. At all.

\- - - oOoOoOo - - -

Once again, Remus regained consciousness, rather wishing he hadn't for at least another couple of hours. He felt achy all over, and his brain had been replaced by cotton balls. Lying down on something soft, a bed from the Hospital Wing no doubt, he could feel the comforting weight of thick blankets keeping out the winter chill. He noticed the lack of acute pain he had come to associate with transformations, however, and registered the dull, abstract feeling of a total body pain reliever.

It had been bad then.

The strangeness of this statement struck him as he remembered that he was a regular user of Wolfsbane. Wolfsbane made him tame, kept his sanity, made him 'safe'. Wolfsbane he hadn't gotten the chance to take this month.

His eyes snapped open and he was greeted with the sight of his gently smiling wife.

"Morning, sleepy head," she whispered.

"Dora!" He made to sit up but immediately thought better of it, "You're not- You're ok?"

To say he was incredulous was an understatement. He remembered now; being kidnapped, Greyback taunting, the Aurors, Dora. 

"I'm fine," she leaned over and stroked his hair, patting his hand that was not hidden under the covers. "I won't lie you had us worried last night. I think it was a wake up call for the whole department on how little we know about werewolves."

Remus swallowed and closed his eyes. He had tried, so hard, to get her fellow work mates to like him, to show them he wasn't anything to be feared. Now, because of Greyback it was ruined. They could see him for what he truly was.

He felt Tonks fingers brush through his hair as she brought her hand down to rest against the side of his face, tilting his head to face her. He opened his eyes again.

"Look," and she directed his gaze to his bedside table, which was filled with wrapped gifts and opened cards waiting for him.

He stared at all the various Get-Well cards, the boxes of Honeydukes sweets, and the amassed tower of chocolate. One of the cards was open and he could see signatures from students, and other professors alike. But what really caught his eye, were the signatures in a card from the Auror department. They were accompanied by comments wishing him a speedy recovery, lamenting stories on how their children missed his teaching already, and one that said he was a very fine wolf with a winking face next to it.

"They don't think of you any differently," Tonks assured him, taking his dumbfounded face in her hands and kissing him soundly. "They know the difference between the wolf and the man. You are not you're wolf, Remus." She allowed him to settle back against his pillow, his expression still incredulous, but a small smile was working it's way in. He knew now that she was just fine, and she knew exactly what would be bothering him right this moment. He loved her so much he felt like he might burst.

"Although," she started again, "I have now been dubbed the Werewolf Tamer by my colleagues." 

That got his attention. Eyes snapping to her again, he asked, "what do you mean?"

"Your wolf was rather forward with me," grinning, she sat on the side of his bed, careful not to disturb him. "I may have confused him at the last second. I didn't want to use magic in case I seriously hurt you. Whatever you might say, being a werewolf I could live with, dead husband not so much." Remus opened his mouth to counter the point, but Tonks just shoved a chunk of chocolate in there. "I did the only thing I could think of by morphing. I figured I smelled human, like prey, but if I smelled like a wolf he might stop."

Remus chewed the chocolate in his mouth and swallowed, "and did he?"

"Oh yes," her grin became extremely wolfish, "in fact, I think he started to proposition me. In wolf terms of course."

"He what?"

"You heard," Tonks said, smugly, pointing a finger at him. "You're wolf had the hots for the wolf-like version of me, I think I'm flattered."

Remus decided to forgo his initial reaction of sheer embarrassment and horror, and went straight onto hysterics.

"Wolf-Me needs to keep his paws to himself!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this longer than usual chapter that concludes this little bit of plot driven drama. Prompts are welcome as usual~


	10. I'm Claiming these ones

**Thursday, January 13th, 2000**

Tonks walked into Hogwarts with a bounce to her step. She had just come back from St. Mungo's and had some very exciting news. Now, she was looking for her husband, who could be in either of three places that she knew of. He could be actually socialising in the staff room - She mentally shrugged that one off as 'unlikely'. The next place was in his office, which was probably the most likely. However, she hoped it was the third option, which was that he was teaching in his classroom.

She grinned. Any excuse to walk into his class and watch his steadfast control slip through his fingers. Having realised the extent of how she affected him two years ago, it had been a blessing for her, and a true horror for him. Tonks had asked Remus at one point whether it bothered him, and that perhaps she was overstepping by disrupting his classes. He'd laughed and said he'd never known his students to be quite so enthusiastic for his lessons, nor had he seen them so involved with discussions since she decided to randomly drop in. Apparently, the students found them 'cute', and it only endeared Professor Lupin to the students more. Some were mostly impressed he'd managed to marry someone so attractive. Tonks had snorted and declared they all needed their eyes tested; Remus' only respose was to kiss her on the nose.

Ascending a set of stairs, that had just settled to let her gain access to the second floor, she chuckled softly to herself wondering what this news would do to his student popularity.

Tonks had shifted two case packets in the space of three days to be able to get the day off so she could see a Healer in the morning. Kingsley had eyed her suspiciously when she handed over the two sealed folders, complete with all the assorted interviews, data, statements, and tracking evidence for each case. Complete with a label naming which trainee Aurors were to work as a team for each. Tonks had just beamed and said she had a date with St Mungo's. Having almost left his office she stuck her head back in and addressed Kinglsey; Don't tell Remus. 

She reached the Defence room, raising a hand to knock, when the door opened inward and his current class exited the room, a few giving her a wave and a cheery greeting. Walking into the room she saw him rubbing out the notes of the past lesson from the blackboard.

"Well, hello, Mr. Lupin," Tonks said as she came to lean against his desk behind him.

"That's Professor to you, Mrs Lupin," he replied, raising an eyebrow as he turned to see her. He got that pleasantly disbelieving look on his face towards the end of his sentence. Even after all this time, he still couldn't believe she was his wife.

"You're such a dork," she huffed, leaning up to give him a peck on the cheek, before she drew away. At least, she tried to draw away but she found hands at the back of her head turning her round to face her husband for a full kiss.

"I thought you had work today? You never mentioned you had the day off," Remus asked, brushing his hands down her back to rest around her hips as he leaned back to view her.

"Well, what if I wanted it to be a surprise?" she answered coyly, "is it a nice surprise?"

"Very nice," he murmured, bending down to give her another kiss, longer than the last.

"Hmm," pleased she broke away slightly, "Well, then I have another surprise for you, and for Teddy too." Tonks took one of the hands resting against her hip and dragged it up to rest over her stomach. Drawing in a deep breath, she prepared herself for the oncoming reaction, "I really hope Teddy likes his new baby sibling."

"New ...?" Remus quickly looked down to wear his hand was now situated, back up to Tonks' face, and then snapped back down again. A small smile broke out on his face, "really?"

She nodded, blinking as the small smile evolved into a full blown grin. He looked back up to her.

"We're having another?"

"See, this is the reaction a wife usually looks for in her husband upon announcing a pregnancy." He smiled ruefully, placing his forehead against hers and nuzzling. She nuzzled back before speaking, "hey?"

"Hmm?" He responded, still slightly dazed.

"Reckon we could try for a whole litter?"

He started to laugh, grabbing her up in his arms and swinging her round. She held on for dear life grinning and laughing with him, immensely pleased at how far they had come. He eventually stopped spinning, and he wobbled slightly on his ungainly legs, but he was still smiling as he looked at her. Then his face fell. Tonks sighed internally, thinking this was going to be the same as last time after all.

"But Tonks," he grabbed her by the shoulders, looking extremely concerned, "you're going to have to take time off work again, how ever will you cope?"

He smirked at her as her mouth opened in shock. Darting away from her, he scrambled for the other side of his desk, while Tonks grabbed the nearest heavy book and brandished it at him as she gave chase, a manic gleam glowing from her predatory amber eyes.

"I'll give you 'coping'!"

\- - - - - - -oOo-oOo-oOo- - - - - - -

**Sunday, January 23rd, 2000**

Molly wasn't quite sure what was wrong with Tonks, or at least what _specifically_ was wrong with her, but at the moment she seemed to be channelling a kangaroo. 

"Tonks, dear, _please_ try and sit still, your jiggling the whole table," Molly despaired, watching as the jam jar steadily made it's way towards the edge of the table cloth. Ron made a grab for it before it teetered over the edge and onto the floor, while Hermione leaned subtly onto the table to keep it still.

"Oh! Sorry," Tonks clamped a hand down onto her right leg, which had been bouncing uncontrollably for the past ten minutes.

"You look like you're about to jump right out of your chair, honestly dear what's wrong?" The Weasley matriarch leaned forward to pat the remaining hand that Tonks still had on the table. "Is it Remus you're worried about? I'm sure he'll be here soon, you said this was one of the better Full Moons this time."

Said full moon had been just two days ago, but Tonks was anxious for him to finally reach the Burrow. His latest transformation had gone well, and he was up and about already, meeting with Harry at home. Harry was currently 'helping' Fred and George with their product design, and Remus had become a sort of consultant. He and Tonks had agreed to deliver the news of the new pregnancy together at Molly's monthly Sunday dinner, but naturally, Tonks was getting impatient.

"Sorry, we're a little late, got a bit sidetracked," came Harry's voice from the front door. Following him Tonks spied Remus and both of the Weasley twins, sporting their bright purple dragon hide jackets.

"Not a problem, dear, still got a few more minutes to roast fully. Everybody get comfortable!" Molly fussed, making sure everyone had taken a spot at the elongated table. "Percy couldn't escape the Ministry this time, so he sends his apologies, Charlie, again, is still in Romania." She rolled her eyes good-naturedly, "and Bill is still in France with Fleur, but he's the one who sent the roast so he is forgiven."

She turned back round to continue orchestrating the various boiling pans and maintain a close eye on the meat.

"Is that all we had to do to be forgiven for our misdemeanours?" asked Fred, mock incredulous.

"We've been missing a trick our whole lives," George sighed sadly, and they both placed a hand to their hearts.

"Boys, please," Arthur admonished lightly, and Ginny shoved a bread roll into her mouth to stop her laughter escaping. "Now, I think Tonks has something to tell us, if her energetic state is anything to go by."

Tonks turned to grin up at Remus who had taken a seat next to her, after accepting a cup of tea from Arthur. He nodded, still a little fatigued from the moon, but otherwise happy. Tonks threw her arms into the air in victory and without really thinking about what she was going to say, she said the first thing that came to mind.

"We're having another puppy!"

Cue Remus choking on his tea, with Harry and Ron's jaws dropping. The Twins both sported confused stares, while Hermione looked as if she had just had an epiphany, and Ginny was hurriedly reaching for another bread roll.

"I didn't even know you _already_ had a puppy," George said, bemused.

Ginny was now red in the face as she fought with herself to keep quiet, while Hermione patted her on the back consolingly. Harry was looking from Ginny to Tonks, wondering which situation he should address first, as Tonks went pale and her face froze in slight panic.

Finally dislodging the tea from his windpipe, Remus spoke up to clear the confusion, "a kid, she means we're having another kid."

Amid the clamour of congratulations and surprise from the table, Remus distinctly heard Fred say; "I didn't know you had a goat either." This was shortly followed by a resounding smacking noise as Molly clapped him around the head.

\- - - - - - -oOo-oOo-oOo- - - - - - -

**Wednesday, March 29th, 2000**

Harry walked in to Professor Lupin's office, holding a bag of Fizzing Whizbees. According to Andromeda, Harry should be thankful that's all Tonks had asked for from this latest Cravings Shopping List. He rattled the bag to announce his arrival.

"Ooooh! I hear sugary goodness!" came a voice from the back of a sofa Harry knew hadn't been in front of the fire before.

Tonks sat up into view, and twisted her upper body in a peculiar fashion as she reached for the bag Harry was holding out.

"I got some of all the flavours they were doing, there was even a new promotion flavour they were dishing out... might not wanna try that one though, if it's new. Don't want you getting sick, Professor Lupin might actually kill me."

"Oh please," Tonks said, shoving a handful of the sweets in her mouth whilst gripping the back of the sofa to prevent her from taking off, "he wouldn't actually kill you, hunt you down and maim you, sure. But can you imagine the amount of backlash he'd have to go through if he killed the 'World's Saviour'?"

"Cheers, Tonks," he snorted, as he walked round to sit next to her only to find his planned seat was occupied.

Remus was half lying on the sofa, half smushed into Tonks. His face was pressed against Tonks slightly swollen stomach, arms wrapped loosely around her hips. He looked rather happy with his position, if the sleepy, contented smile was anything to go by.

Harry beamed at them, "I honestly cannot tell you how happy I am for you two... wait, does this mean I get to be Godfather twice!"

Tonk's laugh was muffled by a mouth full of multicolour fizz. She swallowed before answering.

"I think Teddy might be enough for you if I'm honest, are you sure you can handle _two_ metamorph werewolf hybrid marauder sprogs?"

Harry looked around the office, absently noticing a distinct lack of Teddy.

"Do you know who I am?"

She grinned, "you'll be wishing you hadn't said that! Honestly, though we haven't really thought about it, haven't even considered names yet. I've mostly been busy trying to get this guy to last being more than two feet away from me for more than 5 minutes." She looked down at her snoozing husband, "in case you can't tell, it's not going well."

They both looked at the Professor.

"Just a thought, but isn't Teddy going to get, you know, upset when he hears stories about how his Dad took the news of his arrival compared to this one," Harry pointed at Tonks abdomen to emphasise the point.

"Oh, I don't think so, considering Remus was just as bad when I was pregnant with Teddy."

"But ... he left?" Harry tried to phrase it delicately, but it was difficult.

"Oh Harry, how long did you think he was gone?" Harry responded by staring at her, Tonks laughed, "he was barely gone a weekend. He had a bit of a breakdown, and panicked. Granted, I was still pissed when he finally turned back up on my doorstep, begging for my forgiveness and calling himself an idiot that he ever left in the first place. I think the fact that it was literally raining on him may have helped with that a little. He did look very sorry for himself."

Tonks was rewarded with a soft poke in her side by Remus, who was clearly not as asleep as they had first thought. She patted him on the head. He growled and cinched his arms tighter around her waist, before burying his face into her side and breathing deeply.

"... Sorry, Professor," Harry mumbled.

Remus raised his head surprised, "you don't have anything to be sorry about Harry. Honestly, if it hadn't have been for the, err," he looked away guiltily, "conversation we had, I'd never have realised how stupid I was being. If Teddy had been a werewolf surely me being there would have helped rather than hindered, I don't know what I was thinking."

"Hmm," Tonks hummed, catching a strand of his hair and twirling it around her fingers, "we weren't sure either, I personally think it was your version of a mid-life crisis, but I love you anyway."

Remus blushed and ducked his head back into her side.

Harry decided he was going to stick around, he didn't have anything to do today, and watching Tonks make Remus fluster was always entertaining. He settled himself down onto the Gryffindor coloured rug with the eternal fire warming his back.

"So, you haven't got _any_ naming ideas?"

"Is that a hint to name our second offspring after you?" came the muffled response of Remus.

"Good god no," Harry said, "I just want to know which names are taken. By the way, I claim James and Sirius."

"Now, hold up," Remus raised himself up again, pointing an accusing finger at Harry. "How come I don't get to claim one of those?"

"Because I called it first."

"Since when does that make any difference?"

"Since just now."

Remus squinted at him before huffing and disappearing into Tonks side once more.

"And, may I ask, what prompted this spontaneous claiming of namesakes?" Tonks inquired, stroking Remus' head absentmindedly.

Harry shifted, "You know, just in case I ever want kids, I want to make sure they don't have the same names as someone else they may know."

Tonks looked at him shrewdly, "this of course has nothing to do with you finally planning to settle down with Gin-"

"Shush! Don't spoil it," Harry waved his arms around, turning such a spectacular shade of red, even Remus had surfaced to watch.

Tonks grinned with manic glee, a mania that was beginning to alarm her husband, but she carried on.

"Ooohh, so what you're saying is that _you've_ already got names planned and you don't want us taking them before you can," she looked very pleased with herself.

"Dora, he's got enough to deal with on his own at the moment," Remus said, finally deciding to sit up for this conversation. "Plus, he's still young."

"Yes! Thank you, Professor, I knew I could count on you for some sense!" Harry exclaimed throwing his arms up into the air.

Remus thought this was rather ironic given the topic of conversation not five minutes ago, but turned to look at his wife who was also looking at him, trying to look concerned, and failing.

"Harry, what-" Remus breached but Harry threw himself back into the conversation.

"Everyone from my own classmates, various Ministry people, reporters, Slughorn of all people, and even the Weasleys keep asking me when I'm gonna pop the question to Ginny! I'm just glad she has no idea about it."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Remus muttered, thinking of the youngest and very sneaky Weasley. The one he is very sure is in cahoots with his wife, not that he should be surprised. "Harry, just tell them it's none of their business, or even better," he leaned forward, "play them at their own game. Tell Ginny, get her involved, and play it off as if you already have asked and you two eloped."

"Remus!" Tonks shoved him playfully in the shoulder.

"What, you mean like you two?" Harry asked innocently, causing Remus and Tonks to look a little sheepish, but then Harry started. "Wait! No, that's genius, this way I don't have to hide it from Ginny but we can have a laugh with it so it won't be awkward, yes!"

He sprang to his feet, and raced for the door. Opening it he struck one leg out then leaned back to address the surprised faces of Tonks and Remus.

"You guys are the best! If you need anymore sweets, Tonks, just give me a shout I'll be happy to get them for you!"

Then he was off through the door closing it quickly behind him. They listened to his rapidly retreating footfalls until their was nothing but the fire crackling.

"We are awesome role models," Tonks proclaimed, stretching her arms and sinking back into the sofa cushions, pulling her husband down with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I could not resist... Their second offspring has already been planned but place your bets on what the sex of the baby is.  
> The Sequel for this is 'The Second One'


	11. Wolf Plant

Lyall Lupin had often heard the phrase 'it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all' and he was always conflicted. 

He would tend to disagree; the pain of losing his wife, his beautiful, kind, and compassionate Hope, would haunt him till his very last breath. Knowing he would never again hold her hand, keep her close, bring her tea in bed. They had only been able to send their son off to Hogwarts together four times. Instead of the full seven they should have covered. Having to see the look on Remus' face as he told him that his mother was gone, and how Remus had disconnected to deal with the grief. All the while taking care of Lyall as his life fell apart. He is able to revisit his best memories of Hope without it causing him great pain, but instead with a sense of gratitude that he got to have those moments with her at all. That is when he would start to agree with the statement. 

The idea of never having met her, and living a life just one second ticking after the next for the rest of his days, made him shudder in hindsight. It was why he would look to his son with deep worry. When he finally got his feet back under him he realised how grown up Remus had become, or always had been. At barely 15 years old, Remus already knew he would never be able to gain employment befitting his education. Would never be able to live his life without hindrance at every-turn, never have someone to hold and be held by for the rest of his life. Never have his own family. Astonishingly, Lyall saw that his little boy had made peace with that, it was a fact, and there was no point wishing it were different. But Lyall wished, oh how he wished, that he knew what he had done to make his own son see himself as a burden on his family.

Once Remus' seventh year had finished, he came back to live with Lyall for a few months before Sirius Black had come and said that Remus could live in with him, no strings attached. In his words, 'mate, I have way too much money, most of it got in ways I don't want to think about too much. Let me do something good with it, let me take care of you'.

Lyall had often wondered if there was something more than platonic going on between Sirius and his boy. He had tried to approach his son about it, on the last day spent under his roof. Remus had just smiled, that seemingly content yet somehow still melancholic smile.

"You once told me that when your heart beats faster, your hands shake, and your knees go weak, that isn't love. When you are calm and at peace in their presence, you will know you have found the one to spend the rest of your life with. Sirius doesn't make me calm. Yes, he makes me laugh, he makes me happy, but he makes want to break things and rebel too."

He had laughed and smiled then, a good genuine smile, as Lyall dragged him into a hug. Told him how much he loved him and that he would miss him.

"I love you too, Dad."

That was probably the last uncomplicated conversation he had ever had with his son. A couple of years later, after the murder of the Potters and the miraculous defeat of Lord Voldemort, someone had knocked on his door. Lyall had opened the door to see his son, holding nothing and looking so lost and broken he had wanted to cry. While the rest of the world celebrated, he held Remus and rocked him slightly as they sat on the sofa, his only child sobbing into his shoulder. A week later of trailing around the house like a wraith and Remus was gone again. Leaving only a note that said he had to make his own way, that he couldn't rely on his father forever. 

Over the years he saw him occasionally; just the two of them sitting by the fire drinking tea, or making dinner, discussing their lives. Or he received owls from Remus asking for advice, or describing his adventures. From the different tags on the owls, denoting country of origin, Lyall gathered that Remus was travelling all over Europe, particularly favouring the Scandinavian countries. His letters told stories of various beasts he had encountered, the jobs he had undertaken, and the new knowledge he had gained from various wizards and witches he had met along the way. 

The visit just before he started his first term for Hogwarts, Remus needed somewhere safe to transform. It was then that Lyall realised how much damage a wizard could do to himself when apparating great distances and so frequently. No human, magical or otherwise, would have been able to survive swallowing a whole vial of Dittany concentrate. Where Remus had gotten it, Lyall would never know, but he figured the wolf had to be useful somehow. Unfortunately, it was the wolf that was causing Remus so much trouble. His hesitance to accept the DADA position, even though Lyall knew he was practically born for it, and his reluctance to form attachments.

He was clearly lonely, but unable to recognise it in himself.

It was at the end of Remus teaching year, after he had been outed as a werewolf and felt the need to flee, that he came back to Lyall again. Only this time, Lyall had something more to give him, than just advice and familial affection. An uncle that he had barely seen since he was a child had died, and Lyall was now the eldest remaining Lupin alive. They may not be an Ancient or Noble house of Pureblood origins, but they were one of the oldest Wizarding families in Britain. The Lupin line always giving at least one magical son, they could date back to when the name was written as Lupinus, on the Isles of Anglesey. The cottage left to him was in North Yorkshire and hadn't been touched in years. Lyall had offered to help Remus repair it, but predictably his son declined, thanked him, and told him not to worry about it.

But Lyall did worry.

The war restarted and he was just waiting for one of the Order members to tell him that they were sorry and that Remus was dead. No-one turned up, and only the odd, increasingly distressing, letter penned by Remus kept him informed of events.

That is, until one day, Lyall received a letter from his son saying he had something important to show him. He had to sit down for a few minutes.

\- - - oOoOoOo - - -

**15th August, 1998**

It had come to the Lupins attention that Remus was being awarded an Order of Merlin, not only for his work in the war just past, but his original efforts in the First Wizarding War. Kingsley argued that he was the only one alive that had fought so actively in both Wars, and seen them both through to the very end after risking so much. 

"I could give you a full list of the reasons why I am giving you this award, but I know that you'll find someway to politely decline each one. So, I'll just tell you this. I've already told everyone on the Wizangamot who is getting this award, and I refuse to change it now. The other witches and wizards that played a part actively fighting against Lord Voldemort will get their own medals of honour. But this award, is for you, Remus." Here, Kingsley had given him a stern look that bartered no argument and jabbed a finger in Remus chest, "I will pin the damn thing to your face while you sleep if I have to, do not challenge me."

Remus has been so shocked that he let his jaw drop open, and he could still hear the echoes of Tonks choking with laughter on the sofa, where she had thrown herself in hysterics.

So it was, that Remus John Lupin, Ex-Hogwarts Professor, and agreeable werewolf, was to be given an Order of Merlin, First Class. It was the day after Minister Shacklebolt's surprise visit that Remus decided now was the time to visit his father.

A week after sending a letter to one Lyall Lupin, and receiving an immediate positive reply, Remus floo'd his family to a wizarding village located just west of Cardiff. From there they trekked across meadows and down a narrow gravel road until they stood a few feet from the closed, dark oak door. The house had only one floor, but had many fenced areas that, Tonks noted, housed various vegetable plants. Pots lined the walls of the house, each with a different herb growing from it, and to the right of them there was a large pond, with fat newts lying on the paving stones surrounding it.

Now that they were here, the excitement Remus had felt at the prospect of introducing his family to his father left him. Instead, he felt nauseous and guilty. Where do you start when so much has happened and your father hadn't been clued in to any of it. 

He noticed Teddy's hair had changed to a ridiculous shade of purple, no doubt trying to emulate the clump of lavender he was staring at. The beige coloured hat, that matched the mini jumper Molly had knitted for him, was doing nothing to hide the unnatural hair colour. Remus gave the hat a tug to stretch it over Teddy's fringe, while Tonks looked on at his struggle.

"Remus, for goodness sake, stop fiddling with it, you're gonna stretch it, then Teddy will be very unhappy with you."

Upon hearing his name, Teddy perked up and gazed at his father, who had resumed his efforts of getting the tiny woollen hat to stay over brightly coloured hair. The hat simply refused to obey, and a few eye burning tufts were still sticking out. Remus relented when Tonks gave his hand a slight smack.

"Don't tell me you're getting anxious now that we're actually here?" Tonks said, sounding a bit despairing but tinged with concern. "Don't you tend to fret before you act, not the other way around? From what you've told me about him, your father sounds very forgiving. I'm sure it will be fine."

"I just don't want to overload him. I mean, I already feel bad enough as it is. What am I going to say? Hi, sorry I haven't dropped in for the past few years, there was a war, I kind of died for a bit. Met a girl, like you wouldn't believe, I was a prat about it, go figure, but we're married now! Also, congrats, you're a grandfather, here, take this fluorescently coloured spawn."

"What?" a voice breathed behind them.

Turning around slowly, Tonks and Remus saw a man bordering on seventy, with one gloved hand holding onto several carrots, and the other holding a trowel. Even though he was covered in streaks of dirt, Tonks could immediately see the familial similarities between father and son. Lyall Lupin looked like a white haired, older, and less scarred version of Remus, blue eyes and all. He had the same gangly build, but was slightly leaner than his son.

"I think ... we should all get settled inside," Lyall suggested, still looking startled even as he passed them to get to his front door. "Or maybe we should sit out side? Yes, it's sunny, outside is good."

Tonks and Remus watched as Lyall retreated into the house, not noticing that he dragged mud in with him. Tonks turned to Remus with a completely blank expression, and he too turned, looking horrified, as she cleared her throat to speak.

"Well, you broached every single topic at once. Kudos."

\- - - oOoOoOo - - -

Ten minutes later, Tonks and Teddy were settled in one of four conjured wicker chairs placed around a glass table on the patio outside the backdoor. Tonks had made an off hand comment about how unwise it was to leave her unattended around something so breakable, but turned to Remus and told him to 'help' his father in the kitchen.

Remus walked back into the house and saw his father attending to three cups of tea. He could smell the cinnamon from ten feet away, where he stood in the doorway, and knew the older man had gone to his default coping method. Chai tea.

"Need any help?" Remus croaked, feeling incredibly anxious.

"What?" Lyall asked, surprised to see him now hovering a couple of feet behind him. "Ah, no, I'm good, thank you."

"Ok."

Incredibly uncomfortable, Remus turned to go back outside but stopped in his tracks as his father spoke.

"Are you happy, Remus?"

The younger Lupin turned to look at the elders face. Seeing only concern and apprehension, he said, "Yes, very much so."

"Oh," Lyall immediately lunged forward to bring his only child into a hug, "I am so glad, Remus. So very glad." He sighed with relief and Remus clung back, burying his face into his fathers shoulder, uttering a whispered mantra of apologies.

"Shh, it's alright, it's alright. I know where your need to stay away from people stems from." Lyall pulled back to grab Remus shoulders and look him right in the eye, "but do you have any idea how frustrating it is trying to make you understand you needn't avoid everyone? Especially those who love you."

Remus snorted, "You and Dora are going to have that in common."

"Dora being the lovely woman you brought with you I assume?" a wry smile gracing Lyall's face.

Both men heard a short bark of laughter before it was quickly muffled. Remus withheld his own amusement as he turned to the still open back door.

"Eavesdropping doesn't become you, Dora!"

"Second nature being an Auror I'm afraid, hun. Constant vigilance and all that."

Lyall raised his eyebrows at that, walking round the side of Remus to give him a 'do tell me more' expression. It was completed by a smile that spoke of the promised privilege a parent gains when their offspring come baring a partner. The promise of sharing embarrassing childhood moments of said offspring to their significant other.

"Don't you dare," Remus breathed.

"Should have visited earlier with such juicy news. That'll teach you," Lyall chuckled patting his son gently on the back before collecting the cups of tea.

"Dad, please," Remus said, despairing as he watched his father disappear into the garden. He heard the words, 'so let me tell you a story about this time when he was seven' before he threw himself toward the garden.

\- - - oOoOoOo - - -

Thankfully, no embarrassing stories were shared but only under promise that Remus answer any questions Tonks asked about his childhood honestly. He dreaded his acquiescence as soon as the agreement left his mouth.

Between the pair of them they managed to cover the past three years efficiently. Starting with how they met, which coincided with the tale of how Voldemort rose again. To how things got difficult with Sirius death and Remus personal issues getting in the way with developing a relationship with Tonks. Lyall had decided to interject here with a comment, as delicately as possible.

"Out of past curiosity, did you and Sirius ever progress anywhere?"

Remus nearly drowned in Chai, inhaling suddenly with shock, just as Tonks pointed an excited finger right at his face.

"I knew it! I knew you two were shagging back in the day!" Tonks exclaimed, completely forgetting that Remus _father_ was sat opposite them, watching the pair with a pleased gleam in his eyes. Remus spluttered.

"What? No! We were not ... dating," he hissed.

"You don't have to be dating to-"

"There was nothing serious with ... Sirius," Remus hid his eyes with the palm of his hand, elbow resting on the table. "Can we move on?"

"I don't know. I've just discovered that unflappable, Professor Lupin does actually have a type," Tonks said, voice incredibly smug.

Remus folded his arms on the table before burying his face into them, groaning.

"Does he now?" Lyall had joined the verbal fray.

"Oh yes, it appears he has a thing for rebellious and the most mischievous members of the black family."

"Is that so? Do tell me more."

The next half an hour was spent with Tonks and Lyall chatting to one another effortlessly. Remus had to begrudgingly admit that they got on extremely well. Tonks had been the one worried she would embarrass herself, of course he would be the one to suffer that fate instead. He propped his chin on his still folded arms to watch their conversation, which eventually lead onto how their relationship had taken off. 

"Figures everyone _but_ you would think it was a marvellous idea," Lyall quipped.

"Oh, shush," Remus mumbled.

It was then that the conversation turned to the arrival of Teddy. Tonks had been on a path to completely gloss over Remus moment of complete madness, but he couldn't do it. He had to tell his father everything, including his less than admirable decisions.

"You left?!"

"I know, I know, believe me, I know," Remus straightened up in his chair. "I just, didn't want to subject a child to a world where he would be hated for his parentage. Something he couldn't control."

Lyall knew his thought process came from experience. An event that he couldn't control led to a friendless childhood, and a home that never stayed still. Yet, Remus, his own child, had never blamed him, his father, who was the cause for his lycanthropy. 

"Remus, that child would still be there, and you would still be it's father, absent or not."

"I know," Remus said quietly, "I never said it was an intelligent decision." 

Lyall looked from the purple haired baby curled up in Tonks arms, back to Remus, who had followed his gaze and was now looking at Teddy fondly. "You came back though."

"Yes, he did. Honestly, he was gone ... just over a day, tops? How many times do I have to say this," Tonks said.

"Dora, you're trivialising what I did. I should never have left, shouldn't even have considered it."

"But you came back," Tonks followed, speaking each word clearly and slowly. "That's all that matters to me now, ok?"

Now appeased that she had made both Lupin men understand her, she turned to the elder and asked "would you like to hold him?" She pointed down at the sleeping Teddy whose hair was starting to fade into his customary shade of turquoise. 

"I wouldn't want to disturb him.." Lyall started, even though he had been looking at his _grandson_ \- a grandson he couldn't believe it - with longing for the past hour. Before he could say anything more, both parents moved to gently rouse Teddy from sleep and hand him over to the Lupin patriarch. 

Cradling his grandson very carefully, he looked at his features, and the swiftly changing hair colours as Teddy woke up properly. The little boy smacked his lips before yawning, and investigating the new person holding him. Lyall looked back up at Remus and Tonks.

"A Metamorph?"

Tonks responded by blending her hair into the same cyan colour as her son, then grinning brightly.

"Ta-da!"

"You sure know how to pick them, don't you?" Lyall said, giving his son a look with one eyebrow raised. "Successful Auror, Mad-Eye's own protégé no less, a member of the Black family, Metamorph, and defender of Lycanthrope rights."

Remus just smiled, very happy and proud of his wife. Tonks shook her head to return her hair back to pink, as she looked at Remus practically glowing with joy at his fathers obvious approval. She had to admit, she felt really good too. It was a shame the impromptu and rather rushed introductions between Remus and her own parents hadn't gone nearly as well as this one. She'd been worrying about meeting his father for months, having already known that his mother had passed away when he was barely fourteen. However, she had worried needlessly, his father seemed to be very fond of her already. No doubt due to the shared love and concern they both held for Remus, both desperately wanting him to accept that they would always love him, and he would always be deserving of it.

Lyall was currently tickling Teddy under the chin, which the baby was finding highly amusing. Waving his arms rigidly in joy, hair flashing through various colours. The older man laughed softly, tickling the baby's middle now. He suddenly stopped, however, when he felt something rhythmically wiggling against the arm holding the infant. Lifting Teddy up, Lyall saw a tiny, wagging, blue tuft of a tail peeking out from the bottom of the woollen jumper. He look up at the parents, incredibly startled, as Tonks hid her giggles in her cup of tea. Remus openly chuckled and leaned forward to take Teddy from his father.

"He seems to have gained an affinity for canine morphs, we're not quite sure why," Remus explained, supporting Teddy against his shoulder, one hand on the back of his head and the other under his pyjama covered backside. The little blue tail was still wagging furiously.

"No idea," Lyall agreed, with a small smirk. Internally, he was overjoyed to see his son refer to his condition so lightly. He turned to the woman he knew was responsible for this and smiled at her gratefully.

"Thank you, for everything you've done for him," he whispered, leaning toward her so that hopefully only she would hear. He knew of his son's extra-sensitive hearing, but he seemed distracted by Teddy's antics and, therefore, probably wasn't paying attention.

"He does have something else to tell you though," Tonks whispered back, conspiratorially. "Don't you, Remus?"

"Huh?" he answered, distracted by booping Teddy's dog nose and watching the baby's eyes cross to look at his finger.

"About the thing Kingsley told you about?" Tonks prompted.

"Kingsley? ... oh, OH," he re-adjusted Teddy to sit across his lap, and cleared his throat. "Yes, it's ... Dad, I'm being given an award, it seems, by the Ministry. The ceremony is at the beginning of October and I can bring two people along with me." He paused for a second before continuing, "I want to bring you with me, if that's alright."

Lyall smiled at his son, but then looked quickly between him and Tonks.

"Surely, you want to take Miss Tonks with you?"

"That's Mrs. Lupin, ya' know," Tonks corrected, waggling her eyebrows in a fashion that had Remus poking her in the shoulder. Lyall regarded Remus.

"You know, I still can't believe you have a wife."

"Neither can I," Remus answered, leaning over to give Tonks a kiss on the cheek. "Dora has her own invite, so she is attending regardless, I can still bring an extra two people."

"What is this award exactly?" Lyall asked, "you never actually said." Remus muttered something that he couldn't quite catch, and Tonks pinched him in the thigh. "Sorry, didn't quite catch that, Remus."

"An Order of Merlin."

"An Order of Merlin!?"

"First Class," Tonks muttered, finishing off her tea to hide her smirk.

"So, do you want to come?" Remus asked, tentatively. 

"You bet your ass I'm coming to that!" Lyall exclaimed, slumping against his chair staring off into space, and beaming with pride. "I think I might need some more tea."

"Right you are," Remus said quickly, re-positioning Teddy to his shoulder and standing. This day had gone so well that the usually quite loud pessimistic voice in his head was being overridden by the recently more dominant voice of optimism. A voice that sounded a lot like Sirius, kindly telling the other voice to get fucked and just enjoy the day. 

Just as he passed into the house and headed for the teapot he heard his father address Tonks.

"A bloody Order of Merlin, a wife, a son, and reinstated as Hogwarts Professor. He really has been busy."

"You've no idea."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next one hopefully focusing more on Tonks, as I noticed that I've written this story Remus-centric
> 
> The chapter is called Wolf Plant because Lyall means Wolf and I know Lupin is supposed to be a take on Lupine, but whenever I see I just think of the plant Lupin instead.


	12. The Second One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the Sequel to 'I'm Claiming these ones'  
> Warning: implied really early miscarriages

**St. Mungo's, June 4th, 2000**

Tonks was about to fight someone.

She didn't need to go through this much bullshit with Teddy. Then again, if she had to choose, this time around wasn't too bad. Between being pregnant during a war, and with a husband whose internal problems decided to manifest with incredibly poor timing. Or, being subjected to monthly check-ups, a strict ban on field work past 3 months, and said husband fretting if she left his sight. It was honestly difficult to say which she preferred.

"You're doing well. I know you've done this before, and this is probably tiresome, but you didn't get to check your baby's development last time," the Healer said reassuringly.

"Well, at least it doesn't look like a bean anymore," Tonks said.

"Yes, for some reason, that's a common disappointment for parents, but really, what did you expect?"

"I honestly couldn't stop laughing, a tiny bean!" Tonks snorted.

"Yes," Remus interjected, "and I had to repeatedly remind you that we cannot, under any circumstances, actually name our child 'Bean'."

"Spoilsport."

"I prefer the term Responsible Adult, thank you."

Tonks huffed as she propped herself up on her elbows so she could reach over her baby bump and pinch Remus on the arm. He yelped and backed away from her.

It was actually quite nice to know that he was being so supportive of her. He always asked if she wanted anything, and never tried to make decisions for her. He'd learned that lesson the hard way, she mused. However, when Remus promised her something he made good on that promise, to the point that her own mother, Andromeda, was a little envious.

'What's the matter, Mum? Dad never offer to go on a cravings run for you?'

'No, dear Ted would wait until I was about to commit murder before running out the house for watermelon.'

'...Watermelon?'

'Just you wait.'

But still, months later, Remus was perfectly willing to leave at three in the morning to get her what she wanted. She imagined being at Hogwarts for her pregnancy, with a direct route to the, meant it wasn't particularly taxing, but it was the enthusiasm that counted.

He had begged, literally begged, Harry to take over his DADA exam supervision today so that he could accompany Tonks to the Hospital for the check-in. She had no idea what he had agreed to, but Harry looked incredibly pleased.

As soon as the news of their upcoming second child at hit her co-workers at the Ministry, she'd had a chaperone everywhere. Kingsley had nearly demanded that she take maternity leave immediately, but was quickly shut down when Tonks reminded him that they were short staffed as it was. Who on earth would cover for her? Plus, she liked to think she could take care of her own offspring _and_ still do her job, thank you. Remus had wisely kept his opinions to himself, but by month seven he still tended to hover like an anxious humming bird. She'd told him if he wanted to feel like he was helping, he could always bring her breakfast in bed so she didn't need to move for food. She had been joking, but lo and behold the next day she awoke to the smell of bacon and eggs. Best husband.

She was now in for a mandatory check-up to ensure the health of their baby, but considering the child's genetics it was anyone's guess. At least, Tonks thought wryly, the baby definitely wasn't a Werewolf. Nor would it ever be.

_St. Mungo's, February 6th, 2000_

_"There doesn't appear to be any magical or biological defects in your baby, and it's developing at a good pace," the maternity Healer said, pocketing her wand away in her front pocket. Tonks thought this made her look like a kangaroo, and said so to Remus, who instantly tried to shush her, but the Healer just smiled. "I get that a lot, especially when they're still a bit loopy on the cheering charm."_

_The cheering charm was administered to Mothers during their check ups. The Healer explained that if the Mother was happy, the baby tended to be 'happy' too. So, if there were any problems, the Healer would be able to tell instantly as the baby would be 'unhappy', regardless of how the Mother was feeling._

_Their baby was very happy, apparently._

_Tonks beamed with pride when the Healer told her this, tugging on Remus sleeves whispering, "did you hear that? Our baby is very happy, I'm awesome."_

_"Dora, with your personality, it's hard not to be happy," Remus sighed, causing Tonks to grin even more. "Remember, you did have a question you wanted to ask though."_

_"Oh! Right," she cleared her throat and tried to gather herself, which was difficult when she still felt like a personified cotton ball. "I - we were wondering if you could tell us what might have been causing us trouble conceiving."_

_"You were having trouble?" The Healer asked, perplexed._

_"Well, we had been trying for the better part of last year, and Dora had no clue until about New Years eve," Remus informed, looking a bit uncomfortable._

_The Healer turned to Tonks, "what gave it away?"_

_"I threw up after eating a macaron," Tonks said sadly, "I love macarons, why would they betray me this way?"_

_Assuming that Tonks didn't actually need that question answered the Healer directed her focus to the initial query._

_"You had been trying for a year, before anything? That's unusual. I expect you tried for fertility testing?"_

_"We were both fine, and both clean too, then again, his fertility levels," Tonks jerked her thumb at her husband, who was now staring at the ceiling, "tend to have 'dramatic fluctuation'."_

_She emphasised her point by making a wiggly hand gesture, like a roller coaster going up and down. The Healer raised an eyebrow at Remus for clarification._

_"Werewolf," he said shortly, "turns out that follows a lunar cycle too."_

_"Oh ... OH," the Healer suddenly placed her hands on Tonks shoulders, looking between the two prospective parents, "I should have checked. I'm sorry, but I think I know what it was."_

_"It's a werewolf thing isn't it? I knew-" Remus had turned to his wife, gesticulating in the Healers direction while Tonks clamped her hand over his mouth._

_"Yes and No, it's also a Metamorphmagi thing," the Healer supplied, calmly, and indicating they should sit down._

**St. Mungo's, June 4th, 2000**

Long story short, turns out Werewolves cannot usually breed, and they certainly cannot beget werewolf children. Any embryo with the genetic mutation of Lycanthropy simply does not survive it's first full moon in the womb. The drastic change in it's physiology brought by the culmination of the lunar cycle causes it's termination. Which would explain Tonk's incredibly erratic, and heavy, time-of-the-months. 

Being able to conceive between the pair of them at all, was due to Tonks being a Metamorphmagus. The space on a human genome in which the Lycanthropy and Metamorph mutation resides is the same. This space controls genetic transformation ability, and therefore codes for nothing in humans. So, a Lycanthrope and a human would never conceive as the Lycanthropy would always be expressed, but with a Metamorph, there would be a one in two probabaility of producing a Metamorph child. 

The only reason they had managed to conceive Teddy so quickly, and had so much trouble with their second, was pure random chance. 

Tonks looked up at Remus quickly, grabbing his hand and giving it a squeeze. He looked down at her and smiled. She remembered he had been rather quiet after the explanation. When she had asked him what it was that bothered him he became conflicted. First, telling her that he was happy he could never pass on his condition, and second, that he was sorry that it took so long for this child to occur, and tha miscarriages she had to suffer before it. Tonks had told him to stop being silly and to stop apologising, smacking him with a pillow when he tried to argue.

"Alright, I think you're good to go. You're not at work anymore are you?" the Healer asked, eyeing Tonks critically.

"No, ma'am, I am house bound until this one," she pointed at her belly, "decides to finally vacate."

"Hmm, well it might be sooner rather than later, it's grown a lot quicker than I would normally expect. Don't be surprised if it comes early."

Remus immediately looked worried, "I thought you said it was fine?"

"It is, Mr. Lupin, but not every baby follows the same schedule as the next. Especially as this child genetics are so uncommon. I'm just preparing you," the Healer reassured, despite Remus not looking reassured at all.

"Oh for heavens sakes, you great fret, divert your brain power to helping me stand up and then make it look as if I'm not waddling like a penguin." Tonks yanked on the sleeve of his robes until she was on her feet, and the leaned back against his sturdier frame.

"I could just carry you?" Remus offered, and Tonks was incredibly tempted to take him up on that offer, despite how much she hated being fawned over.

"I don't think that's wise, what if you drop-" the Healer started, but Tonks held up a finger.

"He would never," and then turning to Remus she demanded, "carry me."

He leaned down, placed a hand securely behind her knees and then flicked her up into the cradle of his other arm. To say the Healer looked impressed was an understatement. Tonks grabbed his head to give him a kiss and then lounged back in Remus arms as he walked to the door. She gave one last look at the Healer's astonished face before replying, more than a little smug.

"Werewolf."

\- - - oOoOoOo - - -

**Lupin Cottage, August 14th, 2000**

The Healer had been right to warn them for an early birth date. Remus was busy giving Teddy his evening bath when Tonks had the sudden unavoidable urge to pee. Heaving herself up from her settled spot on the sofa, she straightened to make her way to the bathroom, before she froze. For a horrifying moment she thought she had left it too long, and then her abdomen tightened. The unpleasant sensation of her water breaking was not one that Tonks had missed.

Standing in the middle of their living room, wearing nothing but a moo-moo, and several feet away from any door, she reverted to screaming like a baby bird.

"REMUS!"

There was a loud splash from upstairs, something that sounded like the towel rack being torn off the wall, and then hurried footsteps down the stairs. Remus came skidding into the lounge, his socked feet gliding across the smooth wooden floor, Teddy wrapped hastily in a towel, and wet hair sticking up everywhere just like his son's.

"Dora?! What is it, where is... are you ok?"

If another contraction hadn't rippled across her frame at that moment the sight of her husband out of breath, wielding his wand in one hand, and their infant son held fast with the other, would have made her swoon. As it was, she bent slightly due to the pain and the sudden rush of hormones as realisation hit her. Baby. Now.

She must have said the words aloud, because Remus eyes widened slightly for a moment before he was off. Wedging Teddy between two cushions on the sofa so he didn't scamper off, he then backed Tonks into her previous seat. Next, he lunged across the room to throw some hastily grabbed flu powder into the fire, and dropped to his knees, sticking his head in the green flames.

"Grimmauld Place."

Tonks watched as Remus asked if Harry would mind quickly coming to Lupin Cottage and collecting Teddy for the next couple of days. Baby number two was on the way. 

Not even five minutes later Harry, closely followed by Ginny, scrambled out of the fireplace. Harry made a beeline for Teddy, swooping down and pulling him into his arms for a tight hug. Ginny passed Tonks and gave her a wink as she went, gathering the supplies for Teddy that Remus had just summoned.

"I'll come over in a couple of days to make sure everything is still ok, if you need anything-"

"We won't ask," Harry interrupted Remus, patiently. "We can manage, I think, you've got more important things to concentrate on right now. If we really struggle I think I'll contact Molly or Andromeda."

"We?" muttered Tonks slyly, giving Ginny a sneaky side eye. The red head just grinned.

"Yeah, I guess that would work. Speaking of Andromeda I should probably call her next and let her know. Then I need to call my Dad," Remus trailed off, absent-mindedly picking up various toys that littered the floor.

"Might also want to call for a Healer," Tonks winced, another contraction pinching her insides, "don't really fancy being subjected to my mothers home birthing techniques, again."

Harry and Ginny managed to catch the slight grimace on Remus' face before he turned from them to put the collected toys away in a wicker basket. 

"I'll do that after I've contacted our folks," Remus agreed, placing a quick kiss on Tonks' head before ushering Harry and Ginny back towards the fire.

"I expect a fire call tomorrow, Remus," Harry said admonishingly, before he stepped into the fire and disappeared. Ginny snorted and gave them both a salute before she followed Harry out.

\- - - oOoOoOo - - -

The next few hours seemed to pass in waves. Much like Tonk's contractions, only time wasn't passing more quickly the longer labour continued. The rush of her mother, her father-in-law, and a maternity Healer left Tonks feeling a bit windblown. But Remus had stayed a constant, never out of her reach for more than five minutes at a time.

They had managed to move her upstairs to her bed, which is where she felt she would be most comfortable. Despite Andromeda's insistence that the birth occur in an open room, the Healer emphasised that the Mother's comfort and emotional well-being came first. There was a slight issue as to how they would make it up the stairs, before Remus lost his patience and simply carried his pregnant wife up to the second floor.

Now, they were all positioned in Remus and Tonks bedroom, and Andromeda was trying to get Tonks to lie flat on her back in the bed. Even after trying to convince her daughter that this would be the most comfortable position, Andromeda tried to compromise. Grabbing Remus by the arm she shoved him at the bed and tried to get Tonks to lean back against his chest, while he was placed at the headboard. Thoroughly unimpressed, Tonks had gone past slight discomfort a few hours ago and had entered the realms of 'I'm in enough pain that I don't care if I seem pissy'.

"Mum, I swear on Merlin's saggy ballsack if you don't let me do this my way, I'm gonna scream in your face."

"Really, Nymphadora you're being ridiculous."

"FIGHT ME!"

Remus had to gently coax her back against his chest when she seized up during another contraction. Once it has passed, however, Tonks was back into action.

"No, this is bullshit, Remus give me a hand."

Not having the faintest idea what she was planning, Remus let his hands hover slightly by her sides, ready to support her as she moved. Tonks gradually managed to pull herself up onto her knees, with the Healers hurried assistance. She then turned her self around to face her husband, before gripping his shoulders tightly. Spreading her knees apart, she braced herself.

"There _now _I'm done."__

__She had never understood why women always seemed to give birth on their backs. The hips faced forward, logically, lying down meant you had to fight against gravity to push the baby out. Giving birth was hard enough, gravity could fuck off._ _

__Everyone in the room had to hold their tongues as Tonks proved herself right by giving birth in twenty minutes flat._ _

__"I love being a Metamorph," Tonks huffed, slightly overshadowed by the sounds of their incredibly confused new baby girl, before she slumped against Remus front._ _

____

\- - - oOoOoOo - - -

**Lupin Cottage, August 15th, 2000**

It was then, in the early hours of the morning, when their second offspring was finally born. Tiny, fidgeting, and with dusty brown hair, she refused to lie still for the Healer to wrap her in a cream coloured blanket. As soon as a set of limbs were wrapped up, the other set would kick or punch out furiously, determined to be free.

Remus eventually took pity on the Healer, lying the blanket over his arms, raising his hands up to take her, and lightly cocooning the flailing body into his hold.

"Well, she definitely gets that from you," Tonks said quietly, blinking slowly as her daze wore off, now propped up against the headboard.

"How so?" Remus asked, sitting back down next to his wife.

"Really, Mister sleeping starfish? Besides, I love me some blanket cocoon."

"Fair point."

The Healer approached them after collecting up the piles of blankets and her bag of potions. "I'll leave you lot to it, if you need me I'll just be downstairs."

"I'll come down with you, we could all do with some tea I think, Lyall?" Andromeda offered, and Lyall started out of his found gaze and nodded. She turned to the three now cuddling on the bed, "You two need anything?"

Remus and Tonks looked at each other before shaking their heads, and Tonks snuggled up along Remus' shoulder. Lyall gave a tiny wave to the new baby before Andromeda slowly closed the door, with a soft click. The only sound in the room was breathing from two adults, one newborn and her continued rustling in the blanket.

"So, she needs a name," Remus prompted.

"Hmm," Tonks replied, "I still haven't got anything though."

"Me either, all of my stockpiled names are masculine. I couldn't think of any feminine ones that wouldn't result in her hating me... or that weren't plants."

"Oh god, can you imagine? Iris Lupin; she'd be some sort of pick and mix herbaceous hybrid."

"... Herbaceous hybrid?"

"Oh shush, Professor Lupin."

Remus chuckled, carefully dislodging their daughter into Tonks awaiting arms for her to feed.

"I wonder how Harry's coping."

"Teddy loves Harry, he's probably been on his best behaviour. Besides he's not exactly that troublesome, considering his parentage."

"Excuse you," Remus huffed, nudging Tonks head with his own. She just flicked him with her free arm in retribution.

"What names did you have in mind? Maybe we can find more unisex versions," Tonks reasoned. Remus just mumbled something, "sorry, didn't catch that, hun."

"All I had were James and Sirius."

"Really?"

Remus just nodded meekly, before burying his face into the crook of her neck. Tonks bubbled with silent laughter, "this is just because Harry tried to claim them first isn't it?"

"A little bit."

Tonks hummed, "well I have a feeling James is most definitely off limits, but Sirius isn't exactly a conventional name anyway. Siria?"

"Sounds too much like the country... wait," Remus sat up, "what about Siri?"

"Siri," Tonks repeated the name, envisioning various scenarios in which she would have to use it for a more grown up daughter. "That could actually work. Siri... Siri Hope Lupin."

Remus turned quickly to look at her, "Hope?"

"After your mother. Only seems fair, I got to honour my father, you should get to honour your mother. But I think by outright naming her Hope our children might click they're only named after dead grandparents. Might get a bit depressing."

"A bit?" But before she could respond Remus had leaned down to kiss her soundly. Pulling away they both noticed that their baby was no longer feeding and had instead fallen asleep against Tonks chest. Her once brown hair was now a light shade of green.

"Siri Hope Lupin, I like it," Remus nodded, then a slightly smug expression crossed his face. "Harry is going to be so miffed."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to avoid using the typical 'named after a dead person' cliche, but every other name I had just seemed so random. So, I decided to alter an existing characters name. Plus Hope needed some attention, otherwise known as the 'oh my husbands a wizard and my child is a werewolf? no problem' mother.
> 
> I did a whole unit on Genetics and it's honestly a lot more complex than I made it out to be, but I didn't want to waffle and honestly, the pseudo-science gets the gist across.


End file.
